Cause and Effect
by ReelTreble
Summary: When Detective Ryan is taken in the middle of broad daylight by a mysterious and dangerous man, leaving behind a body in an alley. It's up to the team to find him before it is too late. But when a surprising connection to Esposito comes up in the investigation how will he react? Will he be able to save his best friend or will everything fall apart?
1. Chapter 1

Hello all Castle fans! This will primarily be a Esposito and Ryan friendship story, but will also feature Rick/Kate, Javier/Lanie, and Kevin/Jenny. There may be spoilers up to the current season, so you have been warned. I do not live in New York nor have I ever been (sadly). So the street names and locations are entirely made up. Please enjoy!

* * *

Chapter One

The flashing of red and blue lights danced across cracked bricks of a rundown apartment building on Fifty Sixth Street. Sirens roared complementing the usual night sounds of shouting, barking, and car alarms, as two NYPD vehicles screeched to a halt outside the building. Two men jumped out of the second car, each wearing bullet proof vests, and armed themselves. The driver of the car immediately went to the trunk and pulled out a tactical shotgun and extra shells as his pale partner walked over to the others in their group, his Glock held tightly. From the first car a woman with long brown hair signaled the group, obviously in charge, and swiftly strode to the front doors with the other three men following.

Unbeknownst to the group of detectives a man with grey eyes watched the group from a large black SUV parked across the street. The man smirked, and rubbed at a jagged scar that adorned one side of his neck. His eyes narrowed as the detectives emerged from the building with a suspect, successful in their bust. The man's hand reached into his glove compartment and moved a hidden 45 over to grip a half empty pack of cigarettes. Placing a cigarette in his mouth the man's attention turned back to the smiling detectives, keeping his eyes trained on his target. "Took me a few years, but I finally found you, Traitor."

* * *

The 12th Precinct was unusually quiet. Most all the detectives had gone home for the evening and the nightshift had just began for the rest. Detective Kate Beckett and her team had just finished up a case and were getting ready to head home for the evening. Kate turned the corner from booking their murder and saw Ryan, Esposito, and Castle clearing the murder board, laughing. With a smile Kate moved to join them.

"Oh come on, Castle. Won't it be nice to get home early for once?" Javier Esposito asked the vexed writer.

Castle pulled the murder's picture off the board and looked at it for a moment sullen. "Well I guess, but you can't tell me you're not the least bit disappointed in the way this case turned out!"

Ryan and Esposito shared a knowing look, but it was Beckett who answered. "What's wrong Castle? I thought you'd be happy it was the maid."

"No that's just it! The maid! Really?! It's like a story where the butler did it. No intrigue or excitement. I should have just stayed home and watched clue or something."

"You know, Castle. When Clue was originally released, each theater had a different ending of who the murder was. So it's not always the butler who did it in that movie." Kevin teased, grinning widely.

Castle was at a loss for words, prompting Beckett and Esposito to raise an eyebrow at the writer, awaiting his response, and Ryan to look quite pleased with himself. "Yeah well….all I'm saying is that if I wrote the maid as a murder I wouldn't be writing books for very long after. It's just not exciting."

Detective Beckett leaned in close to the writer and lowered her voice. "Don't worry, Rick. I have something very exciting planned for you when we get home."

Esposito and Ryan made faces of disgust and stepped away from the couple. "Eww!" The two said together and began quickly gathering their things.

Kate gawked at her two detectives' behavior. "What? Nobody says anything when you're making goo goo eyes at Lanie, Espo."

Ryan laughed but tried to act like he was clearing his throat at Javier's glare. "I don't know what you're talking about, Beckett."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Right."

Castle rose from his seat on the edge of Beckett's desk. "So it wasn't you that Lanie was hiding at her apartment last weekend when Kate and I stopped by?"

Kevin slapped a hand on his partner's shoulder. "Come on Bro. You don't have to take this unwarranted line of questioning."

"You are absolutely right, Kev."

Ryan winked at Beckett and Castle before turning away and walking towards the elevator shoulder to shoulder with his best friend.

"When is he just going to admit he's in a relationship with Lanie?"

Kate slung her purse over her shoulder and smiled. "I don't know, Rick. How long did it take us?"

Castle hummed, "Fair point."

The elevator dinged and opened its doors to the parking garage. "So you wanna meet for coffee tomorrow?" Ryan asked, trying to find his keys in his bag.

Esposito smiled and carefully pulled his distracted partner to the side before he could walk into a pillar. Ryan looked confused for a second but quickly realized what he almost did. "Thanks."

"Anytime, Bro. Coffee works for me. Francine's Caffeine at seven?"

"Yup!" Kevin's voice carried across the quiet garage as they finally reached his car, Esposito's parked right next to it.

"Alright I'll call you later, Bro." The Hispanic detective said in farewell as he fluidly entered his car and started the engine. Like a protective older brother, Esposito waited for Ryan to leave the garage first, as he always did, and followed him out.

Neither detective noticing the driver of a black SUV watching their entire interaction with a critical eye. Slowly the SUV pulled out of the parking garage following one of the vehicles with practiced ease.

* * *

Early morning light streamed across the light green sheets of full size bed. Two people were asleep under the covers when a sound of buzzing against wood made the sleepers stir. A caramel colored hand reached for the IPhone vibrating on the nightstand, missing it three times in his groggy state. Blinking his brown eyes and squinting at the screen Javier noticed the time and swore under his breath. Leaping from the bed the detective swiftly ran around his messy room in search of his clothes, unaware that his outburst had awakened his companion.

"What in the Hell are you doing, Javier Esposito?!" Lanie's sassy voice questioned.

Esposito jumped at the unexpected noise and turned to find Lanie sitting up in bed holding the covers over her body an expectant look upon her face. Javier gave her a smirk and started to button his shirt. "I'm supposed to meet Kevin for coffee and I'm already running late."

Lanie raised an eyebrow and hummed disapprovingly. "You're about to walk out on this, for coffee with Kevin Ryan?" The medical examiner said seductively.

Javier looked Lanie over and started walking back to the bed. "I'm sure Ryan will be fine."

"He is a big boy." Lanie agreed, watching Javier's every step.

When the detective reached the bed he leaned in close to the beautiful woman and kissed her deeply, pulling away Esposito spoke in a rush. "I'll be right back."

"I might be here when you get back." With Lanie's words Javier jumped back off the bed ran to his phone he left on the dresser and sent his partner a text telling him he couldn't make and he'd see him at work. Moments later Javier's phone buzzed with a response. 'Say hi to Lanie for me. ;)' Esposito chuckled before placing his phone down and diving back into bed with a laughing Lanie.

Detective Ryan grinned smugly as he placed his phone back in his pocket and entered the crowded coffee shop. Despite the large amount of people in the café Kevin quickly reached the front of the line. "Good morning, Francine." The young Irishman said brightly.

An older woman with warm brown eyes and slightly greying brown hair looked up at the familiar voice. "Detective! Good morning. What can I get ya?"

Ryan's smile widened farther with the sincerity of Francine's kind tone. "I'll just have a large coffee, black with three sugars."

"You got it! Hey, no Esposito today?" The woman asked as she began making Ryan's order.

"Nah he had better things to do this morning."

"Oh you mean he's with a girl. That's the only reason he'd stand you up."

"Not that he'll admit."

Francine's light laughter filled the room as she handed Kevin his coffee. "You have a good day Detective Ryan, and stay safe out there."

The pale detective took the cup carefully. "Thanks; I will. Have a nice day."

Ryan made his way through the crowd easily and out the café, holding the door open for an elderly couple. The detective turned around to head for his car when a tall muscular man slammed into him, knocking his newly bought cup of coffee to the pavement.

"Geez I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" The man asked in a rush. A slight southern accent to his voice.

Ryan looked up about to assure the person he was fine, but his words halted in his throat. Kevin's vivid blue eyes landed on the stranger's face, bringing a cold and uneasy feeling to his gut. A cruel looking scar was etched across one side of man's neck, he had unnerving hard eyes that completely contrasted with the man's concerned soft voice. Obviously he was someone that had seen horrors in his life. Shaky himself free from silly suspicion Kevin found his voice. "No I'm fine. Don't worry about; it was an accident."

The man stepped back a bit and let go of Ryan's arm and it was only then that Kevin realized the stranger had been holding him at all. "I can be such a klutz sometimes. I really am embarrassed. Can I please buy you another coffee?"

Ryan smiled at the gesture and silently berated himself for judging the guy on his appearance. The man seemed completely friendly and undeserving of unfair distrust. "No…no please it's fine. I need to get going to work or I'll be late."

The man took a step closer and Ryan sidestepped instinctively. "Are you sure? Can I at least reimburse you for your ruined coffee?"

"It really isn't a problem. You don't have to worry about it."

The man wearing all black stepped even closer. "Please. I'll feel just awful if I can't make this up to you in some way."

Ryan looked at his watch and realized he was already late for work. Sighing, "Sure. If it will make you feel better you can reimburse me."

The guy smiled. "Great! Just give me a second."

Ryan's eyes followed the stranger's hands as he pulled out his wallet and rifled through the many bills stuffed securely into the folds of the tough leather. While watching Kevin noticed an interesting looking tattoo of a military knife, which started on the man's forearm with the tip of the knife reaching all the way to the back of his hand. Around the dark shaded blade was a deep green snake with small red eyes, its fangs dripping with blood. Upon closer inspection the detective could see little tally marks along the hilt of the blade.

Kevin Ryan was startled when a ten dollar bill was suddenly thrust into his line of sight. Clearing his throat Ryan accepted the offering with a forced smiled. "Thanks."

"Of course. I really am sorry about this, Detective Ryan."

A feeling of cold seeped through Kevin's body. The feeling so similar to his torturous ordeal with the ice water and Hal Lockwood that the detective had to remind himself to breathe. Something was wrong. How could this stranger know his name? The detective silently replayed their conversation in his head confirming he never introduced himself. Without drawing attention to himself Ryan carefully placed the money in his pocket and began dialing Esposito's number.

"It really is no problem, but I should get going. I'm already late for work and my coworkers will be wondering where I am." Ryan said in smooth but rushed voice, trying to push past the man to his car.

Just as Detective Ryan moved away he felt the stranger clutch his arm in a painfully tight hold and the barrel of a 45 jabbed into his side.

"I'm sorry but I can't let you leave just yet, Detective. I've been following you around for weeks trying to get you alone for a talk." The man said never losing his pleasant tone or drawing attention to the situation.

Detective Ryan tried to pull away, but the man's strong grip did not relent. "Who are you and what do you want?" The young man ground out through his clenched teeth.

"First off-" Unexpectedly the stranger released his hold on the detective, keeping his gun firmly against his captive's side, and plunged his now free hand into Ryan's coat pocket. Kevin began to struggle as his phone was forcefully yanked from his hand, but the hard metal digging into his ribcage was a harsh reminder to the detective that he was not the one in control at the moment.

Once his phone was taken Ryan stilled and closed his eyes briefly in defeat. When he opened them again his captor had a cruel grin on his face as he held Kevin's phone up, Javier's contact page displayed. "I'm impressed, Detective Ryan. You got all the way to your favorites page without even looking at your phone. If you had just hit this last button. Anyways, as I was saying." Calloused hands clicked the lock on Kevin's phone and slipped the device in his pocket. "My name is Damon Calder and what I want you to do right now, Detective Ryan is look around at all the innocent people that surround us. While you look I want you to know that I have killed numerous people in my life, and have no reservations what-so-ever about killing more."

Kevin's heartbeat increased with every word Damon said as well as the conviction behind them. He felt a heavy weight of anxiety crash over him, knowing one wrong move could mean someone's death. He had to be smart, and wait until they were alone before trying to disarm Calder.

"Now if you bring any unwanted attention to us as we make our way to my car I will start killing people. I need you to understand that. I think I'll start with that mother and her baby boy. He looks so young, only a few months old I'd guess. Probably no older than little Sarah Grace."

At the mention of his daughter's name Kevin Ryan turn to glare at Damon, a slight panic held behind his icy blue gaze. "How do you know about my daughter?!"

Damon titled his head to the side, making a few strands of dirty blond hair fall near his slightly wrinkled eye. "You're not paying attention. I said I have been following you for weeks. Don't you think I would find out about your family during that time?" For the first time his pleasant tone slipping.

"If you hurt them?" Kevin tried to threaten, but was cutoff.

"I have no reason to hurt your family. They have no bearing on my plan."

Kevin swallowed. "And what is your plan?"

"I like you Kevin Ryan, but this is hardly the place to discuss such matters." Damon said as he led Detective Ryan towards an alleyway and his black SUV parked a safe distance away.

* * *

There you have the first chapter! Please review and let me know if you think I should continue this story. I would love feedback! I thank you for reading! Hopefully you enjoyed the beginning. Until next time...


	2. Chapter 2

Hi everyone! I was thrilled with the positive response this story received! Keep it coming! Haha :) Here is chapter two. I completely bluffed through all the crime scene information so hopefully it makes sense. Thank you so much to everyone that reviewed last chapter! Reviews keep me writing faster! Also a big thank you to all that added this story and me to their alerts/favorite lists! You are all amazing!

* * *

Chapter Two

Black leather shoes clicked across the aged wood panel floors of the 12th precinct at an energetic pace. Detective Esposito easily sidestepped a quickly rushing officer a wide smile plastered on his face. Esposito suddenly halted his progress across the bullpen and tried to wipe the overly happy expression off his face, not wanting to be teased by his partner and Castle. After he felt his face was normal enough Javier continued forward stopping just in front of a sulking Castle.

"That's not the face I was expecting after the way you and Becket were acting last night. What's up, Castle?"

The writer startled a bit, not noticing Esposito's entrance. "Oh you would have a face just like me if you had the night I did. We cleaned out the attic! I didn't even realize I had an attic."

Javier laughed a booming laugh. "Sorry to be you, Bro."

Castle tilted his head to the side as a sly smile brightened his features. "And what has you in such a good mood this morning? Did you enjoy some company last night?"

Javier coughed and sniffed, looking around the area. "Where's Ryan? He get here yet?"

Castle rose from his seat. "Oh now you're changing the subject. You definitely had company last night…and maybe this morning."

The Hispanic detective scrunched his face up in confusion. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You know Esposito everyone here knows about you and –."

"We got a body." Kate's said walking into the bullpen, unintentionally cutting Castle off.

Javier swiftly jumped on the change of subject. It wasn't that he didn't care about Lanie. It sometimes scared the detective just how much he did feel for the medical examiner, but he wasn't sure how Lanie would feel if all of their friends knew they were back 'together'. Plus, they hadn't really even discussed if things were serious with them yet. After all the on and off parts of their relationship slow was probably the best course of action. "Great! I'll text, Ryan and let him know."

Detective Beckett's steps slowed. "Text? Ryan's not here yet?"

"No. I was supposed to meet him for coffee this morning, but I…I was running late and wasn't going to make it. He's probably stuck in traffic or the line at Francine's was long." Javier answered, only glancing up from his phone a couple of times as he spoke.

Kate and Rick shared a small smile when Javier paused during his story, both knowing the reason for Esposito's lateness. "Okay. Since Ryan will have his car when he gets there we'll head over to the scene together."

"Ooh shotgun!" Castle shouted with the enthusiasm of an adolescent, and quickly rushed to the elevator doors.

* * *

On the drive to the crime scene a small uneasy feeling settled in the pit of Esposito's stomach. The feeling only intensified the moment Beckett informed him of the location of the body. Every few seconds Javier checked his cell phone for a response from his partner. It was unusual that Kevin hadn't sent anything back yet, but Javier reminded himself that Kevin was driving and wouldn't want to use his phone in route. Shaking his head Javier checked his phone one last time before exiting the car and making his way towards the alleyway taped off with crime scene tape.

"Great. This is going to be an easy case." Castle voiced as he, Beckett and Esposito ducked under the yellow tape.

Kate gave Castle a stern look. "And what makes you think that?"

"Come on. The guy shot someone in broad daylight in the middle of a busy intersection, and there's a witness." Richard Castle said confidently.

The two detective's rolled their eyes at the writer's words, but didn't comment on them.

"Hey Lanie. What do we have?" Beckett asked the moment she was close enough, going into full business mode. Her hazel eyes scanning the body for anything and everything.

Lanie looked up from her crouch position next to the body. "We've got a black male early forties, GSW to the heart; precision work, and I'd say he was homeless by the old dirty clothes he was wearing."

"Did he have an ID?"

"I haven't gotten a chance to check his pockets yet." Lanie answered while writing her notes down on a clipboard.

Kate signaled Esposito to check the victim's pockets.

"Why do you say it was precision work?" Castle's curious voice added to the investigation.

Lanie looked to Castle. "The bullet came from a 45 but the wound was relatively small, which would suggest the killer was standing a good one hundred feet or so away. However, the shooter hit our victim square in the heart. I'll have to get him to the lab to know for sure, but I'd guess he hit the victim's heart right in the middle."

"Bulls-eye." Castle added his voice betraying his awe.

Esposito unexpectedly pulled out an IPhone from their victim's pocket. "What kind of homeless guy has a cell phone?" The tan-skinned detective asked the group in confusion.

Rick looked a bit closer and frowned. "Not only a cell phone, but the new IPhone."

Lanie's kind eyes noticed Javier staring at the face of the phone. A look of absolute horror on his face. "Javier? What is it? What's wrong?"

The silent detective lifted his gaze from the phone, face set in shock. "This is Kevin's phone." He whispered in disbelief.

"What?" Kate and Rick spoke in unison, but their only answer was Javier turning the phone around. The screen displaying a message to Ryan from Javier telling him about the body, still unread.

* * *

When Detective Ryan was in the academy he never thought he would be held hostage and restrained by his own handcuffs, but that was exactly where he found himself. Kevin pulled again at the handle above the glove compartment that kept his handcuffs in place, testing for any weakness. The handle held firm, and all Ryan managed to accomplish was making an irritated red mark ringing each of his wrists where the metal dug into his skin. The young Irishman's head pounded in unison with his rapid heartbeat, as a small trickle of blood ran sluggishly down the side of his pale face. After the fight in the alleyway Damon seemed more agitated and not as calculating as before. The situation made Ryan even more nervous. Not for the first time Kevin wondered if his friends realized he was gone yet. They would most likely be the team who found the body Calder left in the alleyway. Another thing that was Ryan's fault. If he had just gotten to Calder's gun or been more convincing the man might still be alive.

The captured detective tried to keep track of where Damon was driving so if he found some way to contact someone he would be able to give them a location. But after Calder left the city he abruptly pulled the SUV over and slammed on the hazard lights.

Kevin sucked in a sharp breath and pulled back as far as he could when Damon suddenly reached towards him.

The cruel man chuckled and raised his hands in a mock surrender. "Relax Detective. I didn't go through all this trouble to drive you out of the city, kill you, and dump your body at the side of a road."

"Forgive me if I don't think you're full of good intentions." Ryan snapped, and rattled the handcuffs.

Calder full-out laughed then and leaned over towards Kevin again. "You're funny Kevin I'll give you that."

"Do **not** call me Kevin like we're friends, Calder." Ryan ground out through clenched teeth.

Damon shook his head slightly. "That's okay, Detective. We'll be getting to be fast friends I assure you."

"What are you doing?!" Ryan cried out when Damon's rough hands gripped the detective's tie and began to unravel it.

Calder gave Ryan a pointed look and yanked the tie off his neck. "Sorry Detective, but I can't have you seeing where we're going. In case you had any plans to try to escape."

Kevin looked at the man confused until his sight was cutoff with his own tie. Frantically, Ryan shook his head trying to dislodge the offending object, but it was futile. Growling in frustration the blindfolded man thumped his head on the back of his seat and tried to calm his racing heart.

Calder smirked darkly at Ryan before turning back onto the road and carefully driving further away from civilization.

* * *

Javier jumped to his feet and began pacing furiously. "How could this happen?! I should have known something was wrong!"

Kate carefully stepped in the path of her fuming detective, catching him with her delicate hands. "Stomping around and getting all worked up will not help Kevin. We need to keep a level head here, Espo. We'll work the crime scene and find out what happened. Alright?"

Javier took a couple of deep measured breath, his jaw muscle pulsing from strain. "Yeah. You're right."

Castle watched the exchange feeling lost while Lanie looked completely torn between continuing with her job and crashing the rattled detective in a comforting hug.

"Good. We should start by interviewing our witness. Also we should have officers canvas the area. Have them look for anything more of Ryan's that might have been dumped or anything more from our victim."

Javier's face was like cold stone. "On it."

Kate waited for Javier to return before approaching the witness, knowing he would want to be there for the interview. "Ms. Witfield?"

A young distressed blond looked up sharply from biting her perfectly manicured nails. The green in the woman's eyes glistened from the tears trapped there. "Yes, that's me. You can call me Anna though. I always feel so old when someone calls me by my last name. Oh God. I'm terrible. Going on about my name preference when such horrible things are happening."

"It's okay Anna. I just have a few questions for you. Do you think you're up to that?"

Anna blinked releasing tears down both cheeks. "Of course. I want to help in any way I can."

Kate gave the young woman an encouraging smile. "Great. I understand you were the one to call the police. Is that right?"

"Yes. I…I live in this apartment building and I was on the fire escape watering my little vegetable garden when it happened. I was so scared, but I couldn't move. I thought if the man with the gun saw me…he would kill me."

Kate laid a gentle hand on the woman's folded arms. "You're safe now. He can't hurt you."

"But he could still hurt that man he took! If I called sooner maybe I could have stopped the homeless guy getting killed or at least the other guy's kidnapping! I'm a coward and a horrible person!"

Javier jumped in at the mention of another guy. "What other guy?!"

"Epso." Kate whispered to get the other detective to calm down. If he sent Anna into a fit they wouldn't get any answers from her at all. "Anna, you are not a horrible person. The man was clearly dangerous, and by keeping yourself alive you can help us stop him, with what you saw."

The crying girl nodded her head and Beckett took that as a signal to continue. "Just start at the beginning and tell us everything. What did the men look like?"

"Uh….the one with the gun had brown or dark blond hair it…it was hard to tell. He was tall, muscular, and dressed in all black. His voice was almost friendly…I know that doesn't make sense, but it was like the two were friends until the smaller man spoke."

Javier stepped forward. "And what did the other man look like."

Anna looked to the side, trying to remember. "He was smaller than the man with the gun, but he also was toned. He was pale with short dark hair, wearing a suit and tie."

"That's good. Can you tell us what they were doing in the alley?"

"Yeah. I noticed the two of them walking really close together, but there was something off about it."

"Off about it how?" Castle asked from next to Beckett.

"I have lived in New York long enough to tell when someone is in a situation they don't want to be. The pale guy was standing crazy straight and trying to lean away from the other guy but couldn't or something. That's when the homeless guy stood up suddenly. He started shouting at them to stop, he said something like 'What are you doing? Is that a gun? Leave him alone.' Then the guy with the gun said something quietly to the man he was holding."

"What happened next?" Javier's voice was hesitant with worry.

Anna's breathing increase slightly as she remembered. "The smaller guy stepped forward slightly and tried to get the homeless man to leave. He said 'Sir, I need you to just walk away. Everything is fine. This is just a misunderstanding.' Then the homeless guy took a few more steps forward and the big guy didn't like that so he pointed the gun at him. The pale guy shouted 'no' and tried to fight the gun away. But the guy you're looking for must have been trained in the military or something because he fought like in movies and threw the smaller guy into the wall. I think he hit his head because he didn't get back up right away. That's when the homeless man rushed forward to help and was shot. The guy with the gun reached down and pulled the other guy to his feet and dragged him to a parked black SUV, and drove off in a hurry. I called the police and ran down to the homeless man…I had hoped that I could help…but he was dead by the time I reached him."

The detectives and Castle shared worried looks before Beckett addressed the upset woman. "Thank you, Anna. Do you think you got a good enough look at the gunman to work with a sketch artist?"

The girl look terrified. "Maybe…I'm not sure."

Beckett called over another officer and asked him to take Anna to the precinct. She then turned back to Javier and Castle. Her detective looked just about ready to rip someone's head off their shoulders. Making what Beckett had to do next harder.

"Esposito, can you go over the conversation you had with Kevin this morning and the last time you saw him?"

Javier snapped his blazing glare at Beckett. "Don't you think I already did that?! There was nothing out of the ordinary!"

Castle stepped between the two. "Beckett is just trying to help, Esposito. Maybe there was something you missed?"

The fuming detective turned his glare on the writer. "You think this is my fault don't you?! Both of you! If I had just come for coffee this morning, Ryan wouldn't be gone!"

"No! That is not what we're saying at all! You need to relax…we'll find him, Espo." Kate said, trying to make Javier see sense.

Castle looked at the young man in concern. "It's not your fault, Javier, and the last thing you should do is start to replay what you could have done."

"I'm his partner! I'm supposed to have his back! So yeah, Castle it's entirely my fault!" Esposito shouted before turning his back to his friends and storming away from the crime scene.

* * *

End of chapter two! Remember to review to tell me what you thought of this new chapter. Until next time...


	3. Chapter 3

Hi again! I hope you all enjoy this new chapter! This chapter is a bit shorter than the rest, but I'll make sure to make the next one longer. Thank you to everyone who review last chapter! Your awesome reviews always make my day! Also a big thank you to all those who added this story and me as an author to their alert/favorite lists! You are the best!

* * *

Chapter Three

"Here we are." The smooth southern accent sounded just as the engine of the car stopped.

Kevin curled his hands into fists and steadied his breathing. Knowing this may be his last opportunity to try to escape, so the detective readied himself.

The blindfolded man jumped when a hand unexpectedly grasped the back of his neck in a firm but not painful hold. Kevin then cringed when warm breath brushed against his ear as Damon spoke quietly and far too close for comfort. "You wait right here, Kev. I'll be back in a sec."

With Calder's words the pressure was removed from Ryan's neck and a sound of a car door opening and closing reached his ears. Taking advantage of a moment alone Kevin used the handle he was bound to, pulling himself forward as far as he could. He then bent down to use his hands to pull his tie off his eyes. After a sudden brightness the captured detective's sight adjusted to the light, but the sight that greeted him made his heart plummet.

Everywhere Kevin looked all he could see was dense woods, all but a lone cabin. The detective felt his hopes of escape slowly slip away. Even if he could get away from Damon he wouldn't even know which direction to start running. After a moment of despair Kevin noticed Calder watching him with interest from the cabin's doorway. And it was in that moment Ryan knew he was meant to pull the blindfold off; he was meant to see no way of escaping. The realization made Kevin's frustration level spike.

Deliberately slow Damon walked back to the car and opened Ryan's door, leaning on its frame with a smirk. "I know you're not a reckless idiot, Kevin. So I'm sure I won't be having any problems with you. Will I? I think it's pretty obvious that if you try to run…well, you'll end up getting lost and killing yourself before ever reaching civilization."

Kevin glared with his vivid blue eyes and pulled himself as straight as the car would allow. "You just have everything worked out huh? Well I don't know what your plan is or how it involves me, but you missed some vital information, Calder. My team…my partner…my friends, they are not going to stop until they find me and put you in prison where you belong."

Damon's smirk turned into a glare just before he lunged at the bound detective, pulling free his knife in the same motion. In anger, the muscular man pushed Kevin against the back of the seat his large arm pushing against his upper chest and held his dark bladed knife in front of his struggling captive threateningly. "I'm counting on it." He snarled.

Kevin's eyes widened. Unable to look away from the knife held dangerously close to his face Ryan willed his heartbeat to slow down. His wrists started to bleed as his cuffs cut into his flesh while the pounding in his head returned full force after having been slammed into the headrest. It took a moment for his pain-filled mind to process Damon's words and when he did Ryan's gaze shifted to his captor's grey eyes. "I'm the bait?"

Damon eyed Kevin thoughtfully and spoke in a dry voice. "See what I said. Smart." On the word smart Calder smacked the flat part of his knife against Ryan's forehead lightly and pushed himself away.

Kevin sat there trying to catch his breath and didn't struggle as Damon unlocked one handcuff only to immediately return it after releasing him from the handle holding him in place. Without warning Calder yanked Kevin out of the car pulling him, against strong resistance, into the threshold of the cabin.

* * *

"I know who our victim is." Javier called out across the bullpen to Castle and Beckett.

Castle turned in his seat and watched Javier's progress, noting the hard determination set in his features and posture.

"Really? Who is he?" Kate asked when her friend was close enough to hear her without having to shout.

Esposito placed an enlarged picture of their victim on the board. "His name is Fred Beaker. I talked to Francine, the owner of the coffee shop, and she said he was a regular…in a sense."

Caste raised an eyebrow. "In a sense?"

"Yeah. Francine said she would always give him a free cup of coffee when he came by. Said he was a really nice and caring guy that just fell on some hard times. Anyways, apparently they would talk whenever he came in. So she knew his name, where he was from, family history, you name it."

"Good. Is his next-of-kin coming in?"

Javier tapped the file his was holding. "He doesn't have one. He didn't have anyone really."

Kate bit the inside of her lip. "What about Ryan's phone?"

Javier was quiet for a moment and looked as if he was trying to settle his emotions. "The phone was mostly wiped clean, but there was a print on the lock button. It could be Kevin's, but we won't know for sure until the lab finishes processing it. They have a rush on it…since it's one of us, and said they would call with results immediately. We should be hearing from them any minute now."

Esposito stopped speaking but Kate could tell by the look in his eyes and the way kept swallowing that he had more to say. "What is it, Espo?"

Javier looked at his friend sadly. "I know Kevin's passcode so I unlocked his phone…and…my contact information was displayed. I think he was trying to call me…but he didn't get the chance."

Kate, Castle, and Javier stayed quiet for a few moments both thinking of their missing companion, when the shrill ring of Beckett's phone shattered the silence. "Beckett."

Castle listened to Beckett's side of the conversation, but his eyes stayed fixed on Javier. Esposito was staring at the picture of his best friend placed on their white board, the word missing written in harsh black marker above it. The detective's gaze was so intense, like if he stared hard enough Ryan would come waltzing into the precinct as if nothing was wrong. Castle wanted to believe that could happen, but he knew the truth.

"Really?! That's fantastic! Thanks." Beckett's joyful voice caught the attention of both Javier and Castle as well as Captain Gates.

"What have you got, Detective?" Gates asked, all business.

Kate looked up with a wide smile. "That was the lab. They found a match on the print from Ryan's phone that wasn't Kevin's."

Castle moved to the edge of his seat. "Whose print is it? Whoever it is has to be the person that took Kevin." The writer's voice was full of excitement as he looked back and forth between Javier, Kate, and Gates.

Kate began typing the suspect's name into her computer to get a face and history to go along with it. "The print came from a…wait that can't be right." Beckett said in confusion.

Castle leaned over to look at the computer screen. "What is it?"

"Our system says that our suspect, former Major Damon Calder, is dead."

"Did you just say Damon Calder?" Javier asked in a loud and shaken voice.

The tone in Esposito's question sent an unsettling feeling through Kate. "Yeah why?"

The Hispanic detective stood still with his mouth hanging open slightly, blinking rapid before he finally spoke. "Because Damon Calder was one of my CO's back when I was in the Special Forces. I'm the reason he's dead."

* * *

Kevin stumbled down the last stair after Calder pushed him unexpectedly, just managing to keep himself upright. After the bound detective righted himself he took a moment to view his new surroundings. All around him was floor to ceiling concrete, no widows could be seen, making the only light the basement had to offer a single hanging lightbulb in the middle of the small room. Kevin noticed a decent looking bed in the far corner next to a wall that held a door. There were a few cameras scattered around the room, but it was the long chain laying on the ground near the bed that had Kevin worried.

"Alright let's get those clothes off you." Damon said nonchalantly.

Kevin Ryan turned to Damon with panic clear in his eyes. "What?!"

Calder chuckled. "Relax. I'm going to get everything set upstairs, but while I'm gone I want you to take your suit and put it in this plastic bag."

Kevin watched Damon throw the bag onto the bed and blinked in confusion. "Why? I don't understand."

Damon took a step closer; Kevin countering it promptly. "Let me finish." He snarled, losing his temper.

Kevin clenched his jaw shut. The last thing he wanted was to have to fight this man handcuffed.

"Good. As I was saying: put your clothes in the bag and change into these."

This time Calder threw grey and black flannel pajama pants and a light grey t-shirt at Kevin's chest.

"Also I want your shoes and socks put in the bag." Damon said firmly.

Detective Ryan squared his shoulders. "And if I don't?"

Damon eyed his captive with curiosity, trying to determine whether or not he was serious. "Well, if I come back down here and you haven't done what I said…I'll do it for you. And I can assure you it won't be pleasant."

Calder started up the wooden stairs but only made it two steps before looking back at Ryan and reaching into his pocket. "Oh, I almost forgot."

A scraping noise followed the tall man's words as the keys to Kevin's handcuffs slid across the hard floor.

Ryan stood his ground and waited until Calder was all the way up the stairs; the door shut and locked behind him. In a rush Kevin took up the keys and awkwardly unlocked the cuffs around his bloody wrists. Sighing in relief, Ryan felt better having his hands free again. Kevin eyed the plastic bag with uncertainty, debating in his mind what he wanted to do. The detective ground out a sound of anger and threw the clothes in his hands on the bed and turned away. Slowly and with care the detective circled the room, looking…hoping for any weaknesses. When he frustratingly found none, Ryan checked the only two doors in the basement. The one at the top of the stairs and the one close to the bed.

As quietly as possible, Kevin inched up the stairs, hissing under his breath with every creak. Carefully, the kidnapped man's pale hand touched the metal of the doorknob and was hit by an electric shock for his trouble. Ryan yelped and cradled his hand against his chest, gawking at the door, stunned. Huffing in annoyance the detective walked back down and checked the other door unsure whether to be happy it was a small bathroom or not. Obliviously Damon planned to keep him for an extended length of time.

Not wanting nor needing to test the extent of Damon's conviction Ryan began to switch his clothes to the pajamas and place his suit in the plastic bag. His shoes and socks followed, bringing a shiver to the detective when his bare feet made contact with the cold stone floor.

Knowing his personal things were going to be taken Kevin took out his wallet and pulled out a picture of him, Jenny, and his baby girl Sarah Grace. The detective's blue eyes began to water slightly with the fear that he would never see his family again. Never be able to watch his daughter grow up, or see her first steps.

Kevin heard a noise from above him and listened carefully, trying to gauge how much time he had before his new 'friend' came back. Running his thumb over the picture in his hand, Ryan looked for a place to hide it away from his captor's prying eyes. With care Kevin slid the photo into the pillowcase on the bed and sat down, waiting for whatever would come next.

* * *

End of chapter three! What did you all think? Next chapter we'll find out more about Javier and Damon's connection/history. Any guesses? Please remember to leave a review and if you like what you're reading add me to your follow/favorite lists! Until next time…


	4. Chapter 4

Hello all! Thank you as always for the incredible reviews from last chapter! I am super excited to see that you are enjoying the story so far! Please keep them coming! Also thank you so much to everyone who has added me as an author and this story to their alerts and favorite lists. I would like to warn people that this chapter does contain some bad language. It's nothing terrible, but I wanted to let you all know. Please enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Four

" _Ooh what! I do believe you now owe me twenty or is it forty bucks, Stitch?" A young Hispanic solider stood from his position on the ground and slung his rifle over his shoulder._

 _Another solider with red hair and a scar across his eyebrow laughed. "No way, you hit that target! I call foul!"_

 _At his words a third solider walked up to the one who had just shot and placed a hand on his shoulder; a clear smile on his tan face. "I tried to warn you, Stitch. No one here can out-shoot Javier Esposito."_

 _Javier turned to his side. "Ah thanks, Jax. I'm touched."_

 _Jax shoved Javier. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. You should just be happy I put up with your giant ego."_

 _The small group of soldiers shared a laugh, but their light attitude sobered quickly when a superior officer joined them unexpectedly. The three swiftly saluting their new arrival._

 _The officer returned the greeting without hesitation. "At ease men. You certainly can shoot there, Sergeant Esposito. Do you think you can do it again?"_

 _Javier looked taken aback. "Uh yes, Sir. Can I ask why you want to know?"_

 _The tall man smirked his dirty blond hair slicked back neatly. "I'm looking for a new sniper in my unit. We handle special strike missions and I want someone relatively new and…moldable."_

 _Esposito stood in shock. Everyone he knew would kill for an opportunity like this. "Major, I…I don't know what to say."_

" _Nothing to say. I haven't offer it to you…yet. Now if you can shoot that target again, but this time farther out…I'll consider it."_

 _Javier straightened. "You're on! Major?"_

" _Major Damon Calder, at your service." The Major observed Javier with critical grey eyes. "I like you, Sergeant. I hope you make that shot."_

"Javi?" Beckett's voiced jarred Javier from the memory of the day he meet Damon Calder. Later he made that shot and became the youngest member of Calder's unit. If he knew how things were going to turn out though, Javier never would have accepted Calder's offer.

Javier swallowed. "Yeah?"

Kate's hazel eyes betrayed the concern she felt for her friend. "You said you were the reason our suspect is dead? What happened?"

"Undead…it would seem." Castle started loudly only to drift off towards the end after receiving an unamused look from his wife.

Javier collapsed heavily onto the edge of his missing partner's desk. "I was recruited by Damon Calder about a year into my first tour in Iraq. It was an incredible opportunity that I would have been mad to pass up. He ran a special forces strike team whose mission was to hunt and take out major threats to the U.S."

Castle and Beckett listened intently to Javier as he spoke, but they could tell he wasn't paying them any thought. He was wrapped up in the past, and the far off look in his eyes was how they knew.

"Six months in, Calder told me what was really going on. We had become good friends and he said he felt like he was able to trust me with the truth. Apparently, our unit wasn't just taking out threats to the U.S. Calder was taking bounties on our own people. And he was using us to do it! I was the only one in the unit that didn't know what was happening."

Javier took a shaky breath and finally looked at Beckett and Castle. "I have no idea why Damon thought I would be okay with being a mercenary for hire. So I found evidence in his tent one night and took it to the highest commanding officer I could find. A team was sent to arrest Calder and the others, but I was told Damon was killed trying to escape."

"So I guess the question is: did Calder actually die and someone is using his fingerprint as a message to you or is he back looking for vengeance against you." Castle asked quietly.

"I hope for Kevin's sake Calder is dead. The man had a short temper that you could not believe." Javier answered back just as quietly, trying and failing to ignore the feeling of dread that held his heart in a death grip.

* * *

Ryan's knee bounced up and down at a rapid pace, rubbing his hands together with anticipation the detective kept his gaze fixed on the staircase. It had been longer than half an hour since Kevin was left alone in the basement and with each second he waited his mind raced with scenario and scenario. He had to find a way to escape or at least find a way to contact his friends. Kevin knew he had to time this plan right. With Damon having superior height and strength an element of surprise was all the advantage that Ryan had.

The sound of a door opening brought Kevin to his feet. Crouching, detective Kevin Ryan readied himself.

"Everything is set upstairs, Kevin. Hopefully, you did the smart thing and I don't have to make things unpleasant between us." Damon's charming southern voice called as he descended the stairs with purpose; each of his steps creating an ominous thud.

The moment the tall man's black boots hit the floor Kevin made his move and darted forward lowly, slamming his body into Calder's middle. The two crashed to the ground with the force of the hit pulling a grunt of pain from Ryan's captor. Using the momentum Kevin sent a strong punch to the man's face. In instinct Calder blocked Kevin's next hit and pulled his gun free.

Ryan saw the flash of metal and swiftly knocked the gun out of Calder's hands; the sound of a shot ringing both of their ears. Struggling to keep the upper hand Ryan crawled for the weapon, but he was no match for the former military man's strength and was thrown to the side, landing on his back. Kevin groaned with the hard impact and tried to get up to make a run for it.

Damon saw Kevin pulling himself to his feet just as his fingers on one hand tightened around the handle of his gun. Calder kicked the side of Ryan's left knee and sent the detective back to the cement floor with a cry. Following up his attack Damon lunged for his captive and pinned Kevin under his body weight.

Detective Ryan thrashed wildly, but he could do nothing to dislodge the body on top of him. Suddenly Kevin stilled when Damon place the still hot barrel of the gun against his shoulder. The metal had cooled enough so that it wouldn't cause burns, but it did warm the skin beneath the grey material of the t-shirt Calder gave Ryan to wear.

Kevin glared at the now smiling man, turning his face away in disgust when Calder licked the blood from his own lip. "Nice right hook there, Kev. Hey! Stop struggling!" The mad man shouted and pushed more of his weight against the gun and Kevin's shoulder. "If I pull this trigger you can say goodbye to ever having a fully functioning arm again. Not so sure you can do your job too well with only one arm."

Ryan stopped trying to move with the threat and squeezed his eyes shut in defeat. The sound of both men trying to catch their breath was the only noise in the room for minutes. After Calder was sure he had a handle on Kevin again he stood and brushed at the dust on his shirt.

"Up!" Damon commanded; his gun never wavering from its threatening position, pointing at Ryan's body.

With difficulty Kevin stood, suffering from pain and exhaustion. His sight tilting with a sudden dizziness, Ryan reached out to steady himself on the wall. Calder watched him with a coldness and didn't wait for the detective to get his bearings back before gripping his upper arm and pulling him harshly up the stairs.

Roughly Damon pushed Kevin into a solid wooden chair that contained thick leather straps. Straps that were promptly latched over Ryan's forearms, holding him securely in place.

Kevin flexed his hands and tested the strength of his bonds while Damon moved casually to another chair at a table close to him and sat down, placing his gun on the wooden surface, twisting it so the barrel was still pointed at his captive with a smirk.

Choosing to ignore the clear taunt Kevin looked around and noticed for the first time the lack of windows and door full of locks keeping him trapped inside. The walls each were lined with soundproofing foam, making a chill shudder down the detective's spine. There was only a few reasons Ryan could think of why Calder would have soundproofed the cabin and none of them were good.

"Good news! It looks like your team found my finger print off your phone and they've already run it!" Damon called joyfully.

Calder's statement dragged Ryan's attention away from his surroundings. "How could you possibly know that?"

"I have my ways."

"You have your ways? You mean you have someone on the inside. A dirty cop!"

Damon's blazing eyes snapped to Ryan's equally angry ones. "That is hardly any of your concern."

"I think seeing as whoever is helping you helped with my kidnapping; I'd say it's of my concern." Kevin's voice was cold when he spoke.

Damon bit his lip, trying to control his temper. "You know, Kevin. You're starting to get on my nerves a bit. I'd suggest you stop talking now. Unless you don't want a chance to speak to your friends?"

Ryan blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Damon leaned back making his front chair legs rise and enjoyed the fact that he reclaimed the upper hand.

Ryan shook his head slightly. "Fine don't tell me. But at least tell me this: what do you want with, Javier?"

Damon looked away and the sound of his chair dropping loudly racketed around the room. "What makes you think I'm after Javier and not one of the others?" Calder asked curiously. Whatever he was doing on his laptop forgotten.

Kevin leaned as far forward as he could. "Well Castle is a writer and by no means should have someone like you as an enemy."

Damon rose from his chair and started stalking towards his captive. "I don't know…he did kill my favorite book character."

Ryan ignored him and kept talking. "If you were after Beckett I'm the wrong person to use as bait; her husband would be better suited for that role. Taking all that into account and adding your clear military history that just leaves, Javier…my partner. Now I'll ask again. What do you want with my best friend?!" Kevin finished with his voice raised to a shout.

Damon finished the distance to his captive and griped his arms tightly; his fuming face only inches from Ryan's. "I want Javier Esposito to lose everything! I want to watch as he crashes and burns. I want to see him falling completely apart…and then after he has lost everything…I'm going to kill him." He seethed.

Kevin stared up at Damon in horror. "What did Javier ever do to you that would make you want to hurt him so badly?"

Damon didn't answer right away, trying to decide how much he should tell his leverage. "He betrayed my trust; ruined my life. He was my friend and he betrayed me. So I'm going to make him pay for it."

The tall man pushed himself away and walked back to his laptop, leaving a very confused Ryan to think over what was said. Damon eyed his captive and picked up a cell phone ready to make his next move.

* * *

Javier slammed his phone down and swiveled his chair around, brown eyes landing on his partner's empty chair unintentionally. Standing forcefully the Hispanic detective's chair loudly banged against the side of his desk, as he strode purposefully towards the breakroom.

Kate's kind eyes followed Javier's progress sadly. She watched her friend, but made no move to join him, wanting to let him have some space. However, after Esposito threw his coffee mug across the breakroom, its ceramic shards scattering through the air, she swiftly ran to Javier's side.

"Espo, you need to calm down! Do you want Captain Gates to pull you off this case?!" Beckett hissed, looking around the department for the captain.

Esposito stomped towards Beckett his hands clenched into tight fists by his sides. "You want me to calm down?! How the Hell am I supposed to calm down when my best friend is God knows where having God knows what happening to him?! Oh yeah and our main suspect is someone from **my** past so it's clearly **my** fault that Kevin is gone! Sure I'll calm right down!"

Kate lowered her gaze, gathering her thoughts, before looking back at a furious Esposito. "Look. I get that you're worried and I even understand why you feel the need to blame yourself. It's not your fault what has happened, but I get it. I know you want to be on this case…you want to be able to help Kevin, and if you get yourself pulled you will never forgive yourself. I promise you Javi we will do everything in our power to find Kevin and bring him home safe. You have my word."

Beckett's words seemed to get to Javier as he slowly released a breath, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. Kate saw this as a cue to continue. "What was the phone call about?"

Javier crouched down and began picking up the shards of his mug from the ground. "The call was from Lanie. She had hoped to trace the bullet she pulled out of our vic's heart but it looks like it was homemade; just another dead end! I was trying to track traffic cameras to see at least a direction they went, but someone disrupted the feed for the entire block of time. We don't even know for sure if it's Calder that has Kevin. It could just be someone's way of taunting me or…I…I don't know. Every single time I think we might get a lead it goes nowhere!"

"Wow what happened in here?!" Castle's surprised voice joined the two detectives suddenly. Javier glared at the writer from his crouching position. Unsure of what to do Castle sought out his wife's gaze for help, but she quickly shook her head ever-so-slightly. Castle cleared his throat and hoping to lighten the mood spoke awkwardly. "Did Captain Gates have someone paint? I'm not sure what it is but the walls just look...great."

Javier continued his rant after looking at the writer in bewilderment. "If it truly is Damon that has Kevin he's been considered dead and living under the grid for years. How are we supposed to track a dead guy?!"

"We'll find a way." Kate sad softly. "We just have to–"

Beckett's comforting words were cut off by Javier's cell phone ringing out. The ceramic shards forgotten Esposito stood from the ground and pulled out the small device. Frowning at the unknown number the detective tentatively answered. "Esposito."

"My, my, my, Sergeant Javier Esposito. It has been such a long time since I heard your voice. How has your perfect life been treating you, Traitor?" Damon Calder's smooth voice rumbled on the other side of the call.

All the color drained from Esposito's face as he felt the air knocked out of him. It was really him. Calder was alive. "Damon."

* * *

Noooo Cliffhanger! Muhahaha! I love cliffhangers! Remember that reviews make me write faster. ;) I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think. Until next time…


	5. Chapter 5

I'm back with the next chapter! I didn't want to leave you all hanging for too long. I hope everyone enjoys the first confrontation between Javier and Damon. This chapter contains violence and slight language. Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I truly appreciate all of your wonderful words, advice, and encouragement. Thank you as well to all those who have added this story and me as an author to their follow/favorite lists! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Five

"Damon." The detective swallowed his anxiety. "I didn't realize that coming back from the dead was a part of your skill set, Calder." Javier growled in barely controlled rage.

Kate swiftly rushed from the break-room to get a trace on Esposito's phone while Castle urged Javier to put the call on speaker. The detective complied and Calder's dark chuckling filled the room.

"I'm flattered that you think so highly of my abilities." Amusement clear in Damon's voice.

Esposito brought the phone closer to his mouth and spoke dangerously. "Don't be. I just wanted to make sure that when I put you in the ground, you'll stay there this time."

Esposito's gaze connected with Beckett's who returned, mouthing to keep Calder talking. But Damon's next words made all the room's occupants scowl.

"You sound distressed, Javier. Is something the matter? You didn't lose anything…important did you?"

Javier's hand shook with the strain of his tightening grip on the phone. "You son of a Bitch! What did you do to him?! Where's my partner?!" He shouted, losing control.

Calder made a sound of disapproval. "Now I don't think bringing my mother into this is necessary. Even if it is an accurate statement. Your partner is right here. Would you like to speak with him?"

Kevin snapped his head up in surprise at Calder's words. He was fully intending on shouting out something helpful to his partner, but maybe he wouldn't have to shout. The restrained detective watched with uncertainty as the dark blond made his way towards him. There was something in Damon's cold grey eyes that sent a spike on fear down Kevin's spine.

Calder pulled the phone from his ear, but instead of holding it out for his captive he covered it with his large hand, leaning close, whispering into Kevin's ear. "If you tell them anything about where you think you are, or any kind of hint that could help them find you. I will kill your wife and child…slowly…and I will make sure you watch every agonizing moment."

Kevin felt numb, and all he could do was stare into Calder's steel unrelenting gaze as the man place the phone on speaker. Detective Ryan clench his jaw tightly until the muscles hurt from the strain. He wasn't going to play this mad man's game, but relented when he heard Javier's panicked voice.

"Javi?" Kevin spoke clearly, and had to swallow his sudden terror when Damon's cruel face twisted into a wide smile. It was the first time Ryan saw such amusement from the man and the captured detective did not like it one bit.

"Kevin! It's really good to hear your voice, Bro. Are you alright?" Javier's unsteady emotion-filled voice made Ryan's chest constrict with guilt, knowing he was the reason for his friend's uncharacteristically troubled voice.

"Well I didn't get my morning coffee so…I've been better." Detective Ryan's exhausted voice said, trying to lighten the mood. The two friend's shared a small dejected laugh both knowing how desperate the situation was.

Javier knew they didn't have a lot of time, so without any more delay he got down to business. "Kev, do you have any idea of where you are? Anything that could help us find you?"

Calder raised an eyebrow and grinned at Kevin, knowing he wouldn't tell them anything with the threat to his family fresh in his mind.

Kevin looked away from his captor as his vision blurred with held back tears. Clearing his throat of emotion Ryan answered his best friend quietly. "No…I….I didn't see anything. I have no idea where I might be." His intense blue eyes reconnected with Calder's as he finished the lie.

Ryan could hear Esposito sigh on the other end. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this Kev. I will get you out of this I swear. Just hang in there, Bro. Remember…'til the wheels fall off."

"Yeah, 'til the wheels–" Ryan's response was cutoff.

"Now, Javier. I'm not sure it's such a good idea to make a promise you will **not** be able to keep. Some people might view that as a betrayal." Calder spoke firmly as he made his way back to the table.

Kevin drew in a sharp breath when Damon picked up his large knife and looked back at him with glee. Ryan tried to prepare himself for whatever was coming next, but he couldn't control how his heart rate increased rapidly nor the small trickle of sweat that rolled down the side of his forehead.

Detective Ryan's breaths began to falter in his lungs the closer Calder came. Gathering his courage Kevin glared at his captor and raised his voice loudly. "Javi, I need you to listen to me carefully. All of this; it's not your fault! I know you're beating yourself up right now, thinking just because you have a history with this **nut** that it's your fault, but it's not. Whatever happens from this point…do not blame yourself. I trust all of you with my life and I know you will find me. Don't let this Asshole make you think otherwise!"

As Ryan spoke Calder walked around to the back of his captive's chair and knelt down to his level. Wrapping his arms around Kevin, Damon positioned the phone just in front of the detective's mouth while his other hand placed the blade of his knife against Ryan's taut forearm. Kevin braced himself for the pain to come and silently hoped the others hurried to save him.

Javier started to speak again but his voice was promptly drowned out by a long agonizing scream ripped from Kevin's lips as Calder dug the knife slowly and deeply through his left arm. He tried to hold his scream in, but Calder just pushed the knife deeper until Ryan relented. When the blade was finally pulled completely free Kevin began trying to control the pain radiating from the deep wound by taking ragged deep breaths. The injured detective's ears were ringing so loudly that he missed the exchange happening between his kidnapper and his best friend.

"I will kill you Calder! If you touch him again I will destroy you! And that is a promise I can assure you I'll keep!" Javier screamed into the receiver of his phone. Beckett's eyes glistened with welling tears and Castle lost all color in his face.

The three stood still with nothing to do but listen to their friend trying to control his heavy breathing, knowing he was all alone, and there was nothing they could do to help him.

Calder laughed. "No Javier it is me that will destroy you. Did you really think you could turn me in, after everything I did for you, and I wouldn't want to settle the score? That you could ruin my life and just continue to keep yours untouched?"

None-too-gently, Calder lifted Ryan's head after it had dropped to his chest and squeezed his jaw tight enough to leave bruises. "I want you to disregard what my new friend Kevin said. Every ounce of his pain is your fault. I want you to know this and remember how you failed to protect your partner as you attend his funeral."

Without warning Calder clutched the bleeding wound on Ryan's arm and extracted another pain-filled cry from the Irishman just before ending the call.

For moments none of Kevin's three friends moved or spoke as the sounds of their friend's suffering still rang clearly in their minds. Beckett was the first to come to her senses and ran from the room.

"Sam, did you get a trace?!" Kate snapped.

Startled, a young man with neatly slicked back brown hair looked up at the detective with pale green eyes. "Uh…no…Detective Beckett. I…I'm sorry, but the signal was bounced around from tower to tower every few seconds. It looks like military grade anti-trace technology."

"You mean to tell me you have nothing?! No idea? Not even a general area?!" Beckett barked in frustration.

Sam started typing in a rush on his computer, almost panicked. "I…I can try to keep working on a way to…to uh isolate the signal…but that will only work if he calls again."

Beckett sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Do it."

Javier's phone began to ring again bringing Kate back into the break-room. Esposito hadn't moved from his position, staring at the ground in dismay; his phone held loosely in his hand. Castle looked no better perched on the edge of one of the navy blue couches, his face betraying his feelings of defeat. Beckett slowly placed a comforting hand on Javier's shoulder when it became apparent that he didn't even realize his phone was ringing.

"Javi? Your phone is ringing again. It might be Calder." Kate said softly.

The Hispanic detective blinked out of his stupor and checked the ID on his phone. His heart dropped when Jenny's name and smiling face was displayed. "It's Jenny."

"Javi, I can take it if you want?" Beckett's voice was low and comforting as she gave Javier a way out. One he could not take.

"No…he's my partner. I'll tell her."

* * *

White-hot burning pain radiated from the swiftly bleeding wound on Detective Ryan's arm; the bleeding increasing with each attempt at moving away from his kidnapper. The pain spiked again as Calder jammed the needle from his suture kit into the flesh surrounding Ryan's wound and pulled the skin harshly back together, creating professional but painful stitches.

Kevin knocked his head back against the chair and breathed out a long huff of air, as Damon began a new stitch. "AAH! Why are you even bothering to stitch me up?! You're the one who did this!"

Calder continued his work only momentarily pausing to answer his hostage. "I can't have you bleeding to death before we really get things started."

Damon finished the last few stitches uninterrupted and without warning poured some whiskey over the newly stitched cut. Ryan groaned in discomfort as the alcohol burned. Calder took a large mouthful of the whiskey, watching his captive breathe through the pain, and held out the bottle to Kevin when he had settled again.

Ryan looked at Calder in loathing. "Go to Hell."

The military man smirked. "I thought being an Irishman, as you are, you would appreciate a fine bottle of whiskey."

Kevin just continued to glare, prompting Calder to shrug his shoulders. "Your loss."

The blond took another large gulp before placing the bottle of the ground next to him. Damon wiped away the wetness surrounding the detective's injury and roughly wrapped a thick white bandage around the Irishman's forearm.

Curiously, Calder's grey eyes swept over an oddly quiet Kevin, trying to figure out what thoughts were clearly racing through his head. He didn't have to wait long to find out as Kevin's voice, raw from screaming, called out to the former military man as he washed the blood off his hands in the cabin's sink.

"You said you wanted Javier to pay for betraying you. You want him to fall apart completely. So I've realized there's only one way I end up in your plan for vengeance. You're going to kill me aren't you?" The detective finished his words, watching Calder with interest.

Damon continued to wash and dry his hands and ignored Ryan's question before settling himself in front of his laptop.

Kevin felt his chest tighten and looked around at the secure cabin somewhat panicked, clearly upset. "Before you do it…could I at least talk to my wife? Tell her I love her."

Calder remain silent refusing to look at his captive, working on his laptop.

"Please?!" Kevin yelled in desperation.

Finally Damon lifted his steely gaze to connect with Kevin's. "I'm sorry but I can't risk you giving your wife any information or some sort of signal."

The Irish detective's mouth opened in disbelief. "I know you have the capability to have my family killed if I say anything. Why would I risk their lives?"

Calder leaned his elbows on the table bringing himself slightly closer to Detective Ryan and spoke in a smooth voice. "There is a kind of bond between a husband and wife that no one can quite figure out. It's like the weird phenomena of the connection between twins. I can't risk your wife being able to figure something out merely from the sound of your voice. You understand I'm sure."

Kevin swallowed the lump that burned in his throat. "No I don't understand. You completely confuse me. If you're planning on killing me then why treat my injuries? Why do any of this? Why didn't you just kill me at the coffee shop and leave my body for Javier in that alleyway?"

Calder's attention was brought back to his laptop screen. "There you are." He whispered in triumph. Abruptly the tall blond jumped up after closing his laptop with a loud click, and opened a locked cabinet pulling out a small black container. With no need to keep its contents hidden Damon placed the black box on the edge of the table closest to Kevin and opened the lid. Inside held a syringe and five small vials of some type of liquid secured by a foam insert.

"What's that?!" Kevin demanded as fear settled deep in his chest.

Damon didn't answer and instead lifted the syringe and one vial out and onto the table. With practiced ease Calder's hardened hands drew the liquid into the syringe and replaced the vial carefully. Turning around Calder's thudding footsteps brought him in front of his struggling captive.

"What are you doing?! What is that?! Ah! Come on answer the damn question, Calder!"

"Shhh take deep breaths Kev. Everything is going to be just fine." Damon's southern voice rumbled as he placed a strong hand on Detective Ryan's struggling arm, holding him as still as possible and injecting the yellow liquid into his veins.

Ryan cried out in anger, frustration, and a slight bit of pain as Calder inserted the needle into his flesh. The effects were fast acting as Kevin's vision began to fade and an overwhelming sense of exhaustion came over him.

Damon knelt down in front of his fast fading captive and undid the straps holding him in place. "I gave you a mild sedative, nothing to worry about. I just don't need any escape attempts while I'm out."

Kevin squeezed his eyes shut and open them again trying to fight the effects of the sedative unsuccessfully. "Out? Wher…where you goin'?"

Calder finished unstrapping the detective and Kevin weakly try to fight him off, but all his fight accomplished was bringing a laugh from his captor's lips. With very little resistance Ryan was half carried half dragged back down to the basement and tossed on the creaky bed.

Kevin's vision blurred again and the last thing he saw before he lost his fight with consciousness was Damon's smiling face as he clamped a thick metal cuff around his pale ankle.

* * *

"Esposito." Javier answered as normally as possible, even-though the sound of Kevin's scream was still ringing in his ears.

Jenny's bright and cheerful voice greeted Esposito as if nothing was wrong, and to her nothing was yet. "Hi there Javier! I'm really sorry to bother you at work, but my husband missed a FaceTime lunch date with me and Sarah Grace. Now you know I understand that he must have been busy with a case, but princess here doesn't see it that way and wants to talk to her daddy."

Javier felt his guilt rise with every word coming from Jenny's mouth. He didn't have the heart to interrupt the woman and shatter her world into pieces. So he continued to listen, dreading the moment she stopped talking.

"I found it odd that he hasn't answered my calls or texts, but then I realized that my silly husband must have left his phone in the car. It wouldn't be the first time." Jenny chuckled.

The line went quiet and Jenny's voice returned when Javier didn't say anything only this time it was filled with anxiety and concern. "Javi? Are you still there?"

Javier cleared his throat and a single tear escaped his troubled eyes. "Yeah…I'm…I'm here. Jenny there's something…I need to tell you. Maybe you and Sarah should come down to the precinct."

"What? What happened?! Javier please tell me Kevin is okay!" Jenny asked hysterically it was clear in her voice that she was crying. "Please Javier just tell me. Where is my husband?"

Esposito sighed sadly and answered; his voice cracking slightly. "We don't know where Kevin is…he's been abducted."

* * *

Oh no! Poor Ryan, poor Javier, and poor Jenny. What is Damon up to? What do you think his game is? Please review and let me know what you thought of the new chapter and what you think might come next! Until next time...


	6. Chapter 6

Hi everyone! I am really sorry for the delay on this update. I have been dealing with a bit of a health issue that has made it somewhat difficult to write at times. Rest assured that I am completely committed to finishing this and all outstanding stories I have. Thank you to everyone that reviewed last chapter! As well as everybody that added me and my story to their favorite/follow lists! You are all incredible! Enjoy chapter six!

* * *

Chapter Six

Katherine Beckett's soft hands gently pulled Castle to his feet and led him out of the break-room as Javier continued to update his missing partner's wife. The moment Rick settled on his chair by Beckett's desk he spoke grimly. "I just can't believe this is happening. I feel like this is some kind of horrible joke. How could someone want to hurt Ryan? He is one of the nicest guys I've ever met…he doesn't deserve any of this."

Kate took Castle's hand in hers. "I know. I just keep thinking I'm going to wake up from this nightmare and Kevin's going to fine, gushing over something Sarah Grace did. I mean he's like the younger brother I never had, Rick. We have to find him."

"You know what keeps bothering me? How did Calder know where Kevin was?" Castle voiced inquisitively.

Beckett leaned back further in her chair. "Clearly he was following Ryan. Probably for weeks to figure out his routine and then executed a plan when he knew Ryan would be alone."

Castle slid to the edge of his seat. "But that's just it. Didn't Javier tell us he was supposed to meet Kevin for coffee? How would Calder be able to pull off snatching a NYPD detective in the middle of the day with such short notice without help?"

"Unless…Calder isn't working alone!"

"Exactly, but the question is who would help him?" Castle asked steadily but was startled when a new voice entered their conversation.

"It's gotta be someone from his unit. He bred loyalty in all of his soldiers…they would do anything for him." Javier's voice was sharp and his eyes haunted.

The detective and writer shared a look before Beckett spoke quietly. "Espo, he could have easily paid someone. Plus everyone from that unit would have been charged with treason and that's not a light sentence."

"Beckett Calder has lived off the grid for over a decade. We have no financials to follow, no name to run, nothing but his past. If it's not someone from the unit…then we have nothing."

Kate bit her lip before nodding. "Okay let's find out what happen to the others in Calder's circle."

Javier sat down at his desk and swiftly began typing names into his computer. Castle moved to join him. "How did Jenny take everything?"

Esposito glared at the writer for only a moment before returning his gaze to the computer screen. "How do you think? Not well. I put a security detail on her and Sarah Grace. Just in case."

"Good thinking. She can stay at my place if you think that would help her. My mother can be a handful at times, but it might be good to have some company." Richard said gently making Javier's hard eyes to soften.

"Sorry for snapping, Castle. I'll let Jenny know she's welcome at your place."

Castle smiled. "Think nothing of it. You know that offer extends to you…if you need it."

Javier swallowed thickly. "Thanks, but I'm not going home until Ryan does."

* * *

Kevin's head was pounding harshly in unison with his steady heartbeat. Trying to elevate the pain the detective rubbed the middle of his forehead with a shaky pale hand. When that didn't work he decide he should get up to take some Advil. Slowly Kevin tried to peel open his extremely heavy eyelids, but gave up that battle after the light in the room sent shooting pain to his skull. "Jen? Honey, my head is killing me. Could you please get me some Advil or something?"

When no answer came the detective frowned and carefully peeled open his eyes. The unfamiliar room spun as Kevin tried to sit up. After only a moment the spinning became too much and the Irishman squeezed his blue eyes closed again, breathing deeply, until a wave of nausea passed. As soon as the detective got his bearings back Kevin stood slowly from the hard mattress, wincing at the pain the creaking noise brought to his already pounding skull.

Kevin looked around in confusion and uncertainty not understanding what was going on. Where was he? Where was Jenny? Why did his head and arm hurt so much? Taking a few tentative steps forward the young detective was startled when his right ankle was halted mid-step.

Looking down Ryan's gaze landed on the hard metal encasing his ankle a feeling of dread took over as the last day's events came crashing back down on him. He remembered the kidnapping, the homeless man, Calder's cold calculating eyes watching him, the phone call with Javier, the pain as Calder cut his arm, and Damon's words before he lost consciousness. He was going out! This was his chance to try to escape. With this thought Detective Ryan dropped to the ground by the bed and his hands followed the chain attached to his ankle until he reached the bed's steel leg.

The other end of the chain was closed around the bed post tightly and the bed itself was drilled into the concrete floor shattering Ryan's hopes. Of course it wouldn't be so easy to escape. In desperation, Kevin wrapped the chain around his hands and braced his legs against the wall before beginning to pull as hard as he could.

"AAAH!" Ryan shouted as he exerted what little energy he had left pulling. Eventually, he dropped in exhaustion and laid on the cold ground his chest rising and falling at a rapid pace.

In his exhaustion it took a few minutes for the sharp stinging feeling in his arm to register and when it did Kevin looked to see he had pull apart some of his stiches. A small smirk of satisfaction formed on the captured detective's face as he watched blood leak from Calder's patch job. Resigning himself to the fact that he wasn't leaving this basement without Damon Calder releasing him Kevin painfully pulled himself back onto the bed and tried to give his body the greatly needed rest it desired.

* * *

"I got something!" Kate's voice called across the bullpen catching both Esposito and Castle's attention.

Both men quickly rushed to Beckett's side as she began relaying her new found information. "Given the crime that your unit had committed everyone involved would have been charged with treason. Am I right?"

Javier looked slightly confused but nodded his head, prompting Beckett to continue. "That's what I thought. How come former specialist Aaron Grant only received a couple of years in prison before being released then?"

Castle quickly answered. "Perhaps the specialist made a deal? Maybe when Calder came to visit him it was like a ghost coming to remind him of his broken loyalty?"

Kate's gaze locked with Rick's. "Maybe Grant made another deal with Calder? I can't imagine Damon would be someone that would just accept an apology without a promise of something valuable in return."

"Yeah, and I think I know what it was." Javier finally added his voice to the conversation. His mind too caught up in the past to really pay attention.

Sighing the Hispanic detective continued. "Aaron was the unit's tech support. He handled everything; communication, surveillance, and anything tech related you could think of. If Calder came to him then that's where he got the anti-tracing software I'm sure of it.

Castle's face broke into a smile. "If he was the one to give Damon the software he should be able to track it."

Beckett followed Castle's smile up with one of her own as she allowed a small feeling of hope to wash over her. "I think it's time we paid Arron Grant a visit boys."

The drive to Grant's last known address was frustratingly slow even though it was less than twenty minutes from the precinct. By the time Javier was standing in front of Grant's apartment door his nerves were flaring wildly. Wasting no time Javier slammed his fist against the hard wood three times. The strength of his knocks shifting loose the little iron numbers labeling the apartment number 12.

"NYPD OPEN UP!" Esposito shouted as loud as he could. When no answer came he looked to Beckett who gave him a decisive nod, and then turned before kicking the door off its hinges.

Javier rushed into the apartment with his shotgun raised with Beckett right on his heels. Castle followed behind them, but slower with his trademark 'writer' bulletproof vest showing.

The detectives soon found themselves in what looked to be the apartment's office complete with a steel desk and two large computer monitors. Sitting at the desk was a man in his mid-forties with black and peppered grey hair. A pair of sleek silver framed glasses rested on the man's crooked and bandaged nose. While a handgun and half-empty bottle of scotch rested on the middle of the desk just within reach. The man made no move towards the weapon as the detectives yelled commands, but only swallowed the rest of the auburn liquid from the glass in his hand.

"Wow, Javier Esposito. Never thought I'd see you again. I should really buy a lottery ticket with the luck I've been having lately." The man said in a rough voice as his light brown eyes looked Javier over.

Javier stood still as a statue with his gun trained firmly on his former colleague. "Aaron, I can't really say it's a pleasure."

Aaron Grant huffed a surprised chuckle. "No I suppose not. You know I thought I had paid for my sins. For…for my part in…everything. I lost my wife and son; she couldn't be with a traitor you see. But when Damon Calder came knocking a few months ago. I thought he had finally come to take his vengeance. No one betrays Damon Calder, but he didn't want my pathetic life…he wanted yours. It's funny, I made a deal so I could put that life behind me and be happy, but it was you, his golden boy, who actually achieved it."

Javier took a measured step forward eyeing the gun on the desk. "I know you helped Calder. You gave him something so we can't track him, and I know you're frightened of him, but we can protect you. Damon took my partner and I need your help to get him back, Aaron. You were never like those other guys. You can't be okay with an innocent person being hurt."

Grant shook his head sadly. "Don't you understand, Javier? This is our punishment for betraying our unit. I'm a dead man with a bullet in Damon's gun just waiting for me. You can't stop him; nobody can stop him. Your partner doesn't have a chance in Hell. Make peace with that."

Kate moved in closer. "I don't think so. Here is what's going to happen Mr. Grant. Either you help us or we arrest you and make you help us. The choice is yours."

Grant's gazes shifted between Castle, Beckett, and finally came to rest on Esposito's face. "Alright." He said distantly and pulled a small box from a hidden compartment in his desk. After rolling it in his hand for a moment he threw the box to Castle.

The writer carefully open it and pulled out a USB. "What's this?"

"The next time Damon calls you plug that in to your tracing software. It will give you his location without him realizing he's been tracked. That's all I can do. I have no idea where he took your friend or what he plans to do to him…though I can imagine it's nothing good. I think we both remember the little incident at camp."

Castle looked to Javier for clarification and the detective reluctantly gave it to him. "We had a mission go south because of faulty information from an informant. Calder, didn't really take it well."

Grant snorted. "Let's just say I didn't sleep for weeks after that night, and I still sleep with a knife under my pillow."

A thought suddenly occurred to the writer and he raised his hand to get everyone's attention. "Uh. If you're specialty is tech type stuff. Were you the one to block the camera feeds when our friend was taken?"

Aaron looked like he had meant to say something about that but had forgotten. "No I didn't block the feed…necessarily. I have a copy of the video. I figured you'd want it if you ever connected the dots to me. Let's call it my bargaining chip."

"Wow. Really? You're a terrible person did you know that?" Castle asked incredibly from the back of the room.

Javier glared at Grant and started towards him growling in anger. A sudden shattering of glass startled the group of detectives just as a bullet ripped through Aaron Grant's skull killing him instantly. Javier stumbled back and took cover behind the desk while Kate pushed herself and Castle up against the filing cabinet.

No other shot followed the first as an eerie quiet filled the room.

"Was that it?" Rick's soft voice asked looking into his wife's eyes.

Kate stared back. "Either the shooter already took out his intended target or they're waiting for one of us to move into their crosshairs."

"Yeah well I'm not going to just sit here." Javier called over just before he carefully moved to the window. Sucking in a deep breath, bracing himself, Esposito peered out the edge of the window and felt a wave of shock jolt down his spine.

Esposito's breath left his body and he stood frozen under the amused gaze of his former CO and friend Damon Calder. The man hadn't changed at all over the many years since he last saw him and without the detective's permission he felt a sudden anxiety take hold. Javier's heart began to pound painfully in his chest.

Calder smiled at Javier from the rooftop and gestured a greeting with his hand not holding the sniper rifle. That finally jarred Esposito out of his shock. He called out to his friends telling them it was Calder and burst out of the window after Damon. The enraged detective vaguely heard Kate shouting after him and barely registered the two other sets of footsteps on the fire escape behind him.

Pumping his legs as hard as he could, Javier reached the other rooftop in less than a minute. Carefully, he scanned the entire area with his gun raised and made his way to the very spot Calder had just been standing. On the stone ledge placed under a rock was a crumbled old photograph. Javier pulled the picture free and gazed at the image of a much younger version of himself standing shoulder to shoulder with a younger smiling Damon Calder. Turning the picture around Esposito saw in thick black letters 'Be seeing you' next to a smudge of dried blood.

* * *

Ryan jolted awake with a door slamming and thundering footsteps above him. In a rush he pulled himself from the bed and backed up against the wall. Damon swiftly made his way down the set of stairs with such fury in his eyes that Kevin felt his heart stutter to a halt and a wave of cold wash over him. This was it. Calder was going to kill him.

Oddly, Kevin's captor stopped at the bottom of the stairs and took what look like an attempt at a calming breath. Damon's grey eyes flickered over to his captive, head tilting, as a predatory smile crossed his face.

Sauntering forward Calder slammed Kevin against the wall the moment he was near enough and held him there. His captive struggles went unnoticed as Damon watched the panic flash behind Detective Ryan's eyes.

Ryan stilled knowing there was no way he was going to be able to distance himself from this man in his current condition. "What do you want now? You here to kill me? Is your game over already?"

Calder's smile widened but instead of answering the detective the muscular man brought his elbow up and smashed it just above Ryan's temple. Momentarily stunned, Kevin fell to the side and against the frame of the bed. Damon swiftly unlocked the cuff from Irishman's ankle, but had to duck as he was standing again to avoid Kevin's fist. Calder easily caught the detective's wrist and yanked his arm behind his back painfully.

Kevin Ryan yelled out in pain as his arm was wrenched higher and higher up his back. Gritting his teeth Kevin kicked Damon's leg, causing the man to angrily slam the detective against the wall. Having the leverage he needed Calder grabbed hold of both of Ryan's wrists, and once he was in full control he cruelly dragged his captive upstairs.

Finding himself seated in the chair again the young detective's heart was racing. Damon harshly strapped him in place and turned away from him, pacing the length of the cabin. Ryan watched with apprehension and flinched when Calder suddenly dragged a chair in front of his captive, producing a loud scraping noise.

Sitting across from the bound man Calder folded his hands and spoke in a steady voice. "I apologize. I've always had a bit of a temper and well I don't like it when my plan comes apart. Your team is better than I expected, but no matter." Damon stood abruptly but continued to talk. "I have just had to move my time table up a bit. You understand I'm sure?"

As he was speaking Damon moved a small end-table next to the two chairs. He then placed a small bag on the table and began laying tools out. Ryan's eyes followed every movement his feeling of dread intensifying with each new tool Calder place out in the open. When a large pair of pliers thudded out Kevin swallowed with difficulty and closed his eyes praying silently for help.

* * *

Oh dear! Poor Ryan! What will happen next?! Please review and let me know what you thought of this new chapter. I have been trying to create cover art for this story, but Photoshop is NOT one of my talents. However, while working on it I decided that Michael Fassbender is what Damon Calder looks like. Except for Calder's grey eyes, but otherwise think of Michael Fassbender while reading this. Haha! Dream casting my story. Until next time…


	7. Chapter 7

Hi everyone I'm back with the next chapter! I know it's been a while since my last update but things are a bit crazy for me at the moment. Rest assured I will continue to update as quickly as I can. Thank you to all who reviewed last chapter! I really appreciate and love reading your comments. Also a big thank you to everyone who has added me and my story to their follow/favorite lists. A special thank you to Detective Rysposito for your well wishes! You are an awesome and kind person!

* * *

Chapter Seven

Castle quietly walked across the aged wooden floor, two coffees in hand, and took a seat next to Kate's desk. Without a word the writer handed his wife one of the coffees and followed her gaze to the sleeping figure of Esposito. The Hispanic detective's face was resting on the surface of his desk, though his sleep did not seem to be peaceful.

Castle turned back to Beckett and saw her eyes were bloodshot and encircled with dark shadows. "I didn't hear you leave this morning. When did you leave?"

Kate rubbed her hands down her exhausted face before taking a sip of the coffee and answering. "I couldn't sleep so I figured I might as well be doing something productive."

Rick placed a hand over hers. "That really didn't answer my question, Kate. When did you come in?"

The corner of Beckett's lips lifted slightly. "I came in around three. Lanie was just leaving after having failed to get Javi to sleep for a couple of hours."

Castle nodded absently. "So he's been here all night?"

"Yeah. He fell asleep maybe an hour ago and I don't have the heart to wake him up. I don't have anything new for him."

"So no news on the traffic footage Grant supposedly had?" Rick asked in a defeated tone.

Kate shook her head. "No. CSU ripped Grant's apartment apart like I haven't seen before and they still found nothing. I think our best bet is to wait for Calder to call again."

A few hours passed by agonizingly slow until around ten in the morning on the second day of Ryan's kidnapping when Javier's phone rang. The edgy detective answered the moment Samuel had plugged Grant's USB into the computer and readied the trace, Castle and Beckett hovering close by.

"Calder." Javier growled into his IPhone.

"Javier, wonderful day isn't it? Sorry I couldn't stay and chat last night. Things to do. Though, it's quite the shame about Aaron. I always hoped he would turn out better…more loyal."

"Yeah well we can't all be extremists for the Damon Calder cause." Esposito snapped back.

Calder chuckled, "Come now, Kid. There is no use crying over a dead traitor."

"Don't ever call me kid again, Damon. You have no right!"

"I would say I have every right. I made you what you are today, Kid. You would have been nothing if I didn't pick you for greatness."

Beckett placed a calming hand on Javier's taut arm, reminding him to focus. After a breath Esposito continued. "I want to talk to Kevin." The detective demanded; his eyes fixed on the computer screen as they narrowed in on Calder's location.

The line was quiet for a moment before Damon's voice rumbled darkly. "Ah…well that may be a problem."

Cold crept through Javier's veins. "What does that mean? What did you do?"

The detectives could hear the smile in Damon's voice as he taunted. "Kevin's not really up to talking at the moment. We had a long night of getting to know one another. I do enjoy his stubborn spirit. I may just have to keep him."

The call ended before Javier could respond. Sam swiftly typed across the keys and shouted in triumph. "We got him! The address is just outside the city."

With the news Detective Esposito looked up at his friends with determination shining through his slightly watery brown eyes. "We bring Kevin home no matter what, but Calder is mine."

Beckett clenched her jaw but say nothing against her detective's words. No one wanted Damon Calder as much as Javier, and Kate knew what that felt like.

The drive to the address was filled with anxiety and Castle couldn't sit still. The writer just continued to shift in his seat and drum his fingers on his thigh. Kate took her hand off the wheel carefully and placed it comfortingly on Rick's leg closest to her. Too lost in thought the gesture startled Castle.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." Kate said quickly and went to pull her hand back.

Rick stopped her and held her outstretched hand for a moment. "No it's not you. I'm just nervous. This Calder guy really doesn't seem like the kind of person that's happy with uninvited visitors."

Beckett's gaze flicked to Castles and back to the road. "I know. We just have to be quick. Give Calder no chance to react."

"How bad do you think Ryan will be? No…I don't want you to answer that. I've just been thinking about it since the call. He…he could be dead already, and we could be walking straight into a trap." Rick's voice wavered in and out with his statement.

"He's not dead. He can't be so he's not. Okay Rick?" Kate snapped.

Castle looked back out the window as they arrived. "This must be it. Very secluded. Alright then let's go get our boy back."

The writer reached for the door handle but Kate's stopped him. "Rick, I'm sorry. I'm just…everything you said has been going through my head, and I sure Espo's too."

Castle smiled. "I know."

Not wasting anymore time Beckett and Castle jumped out of the car and met up with Javier who was checking his weapon. Slowly, the group made their way to the entrance, but their footsteps suddenly halted as Javier's phone rang again.

Hesitantly, Javier accepted the call and was greeted with Damon Calder's furious voice before the detective could even say a word. "Well I must say I am extremely disappointed in you, Javier. Did you honestly think I wouldn't have cameras all around my hideout?"

The Hispanic detective looked up in horror. "He knows we're here."

Chaos erupted as Beckett began shouting orders to their backup units and they ran towards the building as fast as their legs could carry them. Javier dropped his phone to the hard ground and sprinted to save his partner's life. So it was because Javier dropped his phone that he never heard Damon's final words. "Nice try, Kid."

The building suddenly exploded, sending all of the NYPD to the ground hard. Javier's head connected and his vision blurred. There was a slight muffed screaming coming from his right only barely heard over the ringing in his ears. Rolling over with an effort Esposito saw Beckett helping Castle sit up; the writer's complexion and the way he swayed lightly indicted the possibility he would pass out if pulled all the way to his feet.

Shaking his head clear and blinking several times Javier stumbled to his unsteady feet and stared into the flames completely engulfing the building believed to be holding his partner. At the very moment Detective Esposito thought of his best friend what little breath that had returned to his lungs left him. Determined Javier stumbled toward the fire screaming Ryan's name.

Kate rushed to her friend's side and held his bicep firmly, holding Javier back. "Javi? Javi, stop…STOP! We have to wait for the fire department. We can't just go running into a burning building!"

Javier yanked his arm away from Beckett and continued forward not listening to her words. Detective Beckett tried again to get Esposito to listen, and when that didn't work she stepped in front of him raising her pistol. "Espo I am ordering you to stand down now."

Esposito glared at Beckett. "What's the matter with you, Kate?! Kevin is in there and he needs our help. Step the Hell out of my way!"

Kate stood her ground. "We don't know for sure if he's in there, Javi. And if he was…he would have been killed in the explosion."

"Don't you dare say that! Kevin's alive! Now get out of my way so I can save him."

Beckett lowered her gun and her voice. "Espo, if you go in there you'll die. Please…please just wait for the firefighters."

Javier looked as if he was going to run into the flames anyways, not caring what Beckett said or asked, but before he could Castle placed a strong hand on his arm. Closing his deep brown eyes Javier waited with Beckett and Castle until the fire department came to put to fire out.

After the firefighters arrived they quickly and efficiently stopped the flames, and entered the building to make sure it was completely out. With care they swept through each room and radioed back their progress. Since the detective's no longer were in control, and wouldn't be until the fire was entirely contained, they gathered around the fire chief listening.

"Looks like the first floor is clear. Should we proceed to the lower level Chief?" An unsure voice crackled over the radio.

The fire chief, an older man with a full head of grey hair, looked his company over before answering. "Yeah Louis, we need to clear the entire building before letting NYPD in. Put a rush on it will ya? I'm getting scorch marks from the glares I'm receiving here."

"You got it Chief."

Javier bounced from foot to foot, trying to decide if he should just run into the building and take whatever punishment he may get from the action. Captain Gates watched him carefully, reading his thoughts, and raised an eyebrow halting the Hispanic detective's actions.

The radio jumped to life again. "Damn! We've got a body, Sir."

Javier heard no other words as he dashed into the building, without a care for himself. They found a body and he needed to see it.

Beckett and Castle were just behind Esposito as they moved quickly across the charred floor not sparring a glance at the blackened room around them. Descending the stairs was a bit harder as many of them were missing, but that didn't stop the detectives. Javier jumped down most of the way and slid out of sight.

As Kate and Rick's feet hit the concrete floor their eyes fell on Javier. The Hispanic detective had fallen to his knees beside a burnt unrecognizable body in the center of the room. Detective Esposito sat there with his hands hover over the body unsure of what to do. In dismay his eyes swept the body from head to toe, trying to find something…anything that would prove this wasn't his best friend.

* * *

The morgue has never been so cold, Javier realized, as he stood next to the burned body waiting for Lanie. Lanie who insisted she be the one to work with this body even having an all-out argument with Captain Gates over it. She wanted to be the one to prove it wasn't Kevin, but her conviction wasn't enough to stop the shadow of doubt that slipped its way into Javier's mind. The upset detective couldn't help but scrutinize every aspect of their victim looking for similarities or anything unfamiliar, but his gaze just kept drifting to the melted metal on the body's belt. The mangled metal was his partner's shield, Javier knew it, but Calder could have placed it there to convince them. To convince him.

Finally, the doors across the cold room opened and Lanie stepped through hesitantly. Her face was filled with sympathy and Javier's heart cracked ever more.

"No…it's not him. Lanie, It's not him. Don't even come in here and tell me anything except it's not Kevin." Javier growled in distress.

Lanie's eyes started to tear. "Javi, I…I'm sorry. With all the evidence that we can find and given where we found him…I have to rule the body to be Kevin."

Javier looked at Lanie in fury. "What?! What does that even mean?!"

Lanie placed the folder from her hands on the table. "Javier, the body is too burnt to make any complete positive identification, but I found a small amount of DNA and it was Kevin's."

"Then check dental records! It's not him!" The distraught detective snapped.

The medical examiner stepped closer to Javier and placed her slender hand on his chest. "Calder pulled out all of his teeth and broke his jaw. There is no way to make a positive ID off dental records."

Javier felt sick, stumbling back against the wall he looked at Lanie in betrayal. "Then what makes you so sure it's him?"

"The melted metal we found on his belt looks like his badge right?" Lanie said gently bring Javier's attention back to the mangled metal.

After a moment the medical examiner continued. "So I had a friend take a look to see if he could reconstruct it using a computer program and…it's an NYPD issued badge. My friend was also able to recover a partial badge number as well, and there is an eighty six percent chance that it's Ryan's."

As Javier listened to Lanie's voice his hope slowly dissipated with each word. "How can you give up on him so easily? Kevin is our friend, Lanie. We need to be absolutely sure!" The Hispanic detective barked in refueled anger.

Lanie looked down to hide her rapidly watering eyes and swallowed down the sudden burning in her throat before looking back at Esposito with matching anger. "Don't you think I know that?! I tried to find anything that would prove it's not him. When I refused to make a ruling until I could find sufficient evidence that it's not Kevin Gates replaced me. She said I wasn't objective enough to make this call. It wasn't me; I wasn't the one to give up on him so don't you dare accuse me of doing so, Javier Esposito! You are not the only one that lost him!" Lanie's voice was firm and filled with tears as she spoke.

Detective Esposito felt the weight of the horrible truth crashing over him as he silently watched Lanie fall apart. Numbly he reached out and wrapped his arms around her as she continued to cry; his own tears slipping down his face. Slowly, Javier slid down the wall bringing Lanie with him and together they mourned their loss in each other's arms.

* * *

Please don't kill me! I promise not everything is as it seems so bear with me. Review and let me know what you thought of the new chapter and/or what you think may happen next. Thanks for reading! Until next time…


	8. Chapter 8

Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay! The holidays made it very difficult to get the time to write. I hope you all enjoy this new chapter and all the feels. Thank you to everyone that reviewed last chapter as well as everyone that has added me and my story to their follow/favorite lists! you are all amazing!

* * *

Chapter Eight

"Most of you probably don't know this, but when I first met Kevin Ryan we didn't really get along too well. I thought he was a boy scout; a scrawny pale Irishman with an odd sense of humor. I figured there was no way we would ever work well together; too different." Javier paused and looked out over the gathered group of people. He scanned the crying, sullen, and stone faces of the many people who had come to mourn the loss of his best friend.

"We bickered for the entire first two weeks of our partnership, but one day he took a bullet across the arm for me…. **me** the person who was just inches away from putting in for a partner transfer. That was the day that I finally saw who Kevin Ryan truly was." The Hispanic detective felt his emotions slipping so he closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. When Javier opened them again his sight connected with the front row, containing Lanie, Kate, Rick, and Kevin's family. He looked from one face to the next while he continued.

"A brave, selfless, wisecracking, stubborn man who would do anything for the people he cared about. Kevin Ryan was the finest detective, partner, and friend I have ever met…and will ever meet again. He made everyone around him a better person and his memory will forever stay with us." Javier's voice caught in his throat as tears welled in his usually warm eyes. "I'm so sorry Kev. It's my fault…I couldn't protect you like you did for me so many times. I owe you my life more times than I can count and when you really needed me…I wasn't there fast enough." Esposito took a shaky breath, a tear sliding down his face. He tried to keep his emotions in check but when Javier's gaze landed on Jenny holding Sarah Grace the detective lost his control.

"I'm so sorry." Javier's broken voice sounded just before he turned his back to the funeral and started briskly walking away.

Lanie began to rise from her seat, but Jenny's soft hand halted her progress. "Let him go. He needs time alone. This is really difficult for him."

The medical examiner was yet again amazed at how well Jenny was holding herself together. She was a woman who just lost her husband but she exuded a strength no one expected from the normally soft spoken woman. Without another word Lanie lowered herself back down and watched her boyfriend retreat further away. She was so caught up that the first gunshot from the ceremony startled her, making her look at the source of the noise. When Lanie's gaze returned to where she just saw Javier he was gone.

* * *

The newspaper dropped heavily on the wooden table's surface, but it wasn't the noise that was attention grabbing, it was the headline. The front page, in large bold black letters, read: 'The city mourns together after the shocking death of NYPD detective Kevin Ryan'.

"I told you they'd believe it. You should have more faith in me Kev." Damon Calder said in a joyous and taunting voice as he sat down, lifted his dirt-covered boots on the table, and began cutting slices of an apple with his military knife.

Kevin didn't acknowledge his smug captor but instead couldn't keep his eyes off the pictures of his own funeral stamped in ink. The young detective felt an overwhelming feeling of grief and hopelessness wash over him as his mesmerizing blues eyes swept over the picture with his wife and daughter.

Calder smirked. "Yeah I'm not sure I would have gone with that picture either, but you know how the media is: always dramatic."

Kevin cleared his throat, hoping to remove the burning that had settled, before speaking. "That's not it at all. I'm just amazed you can actually read a newspaper. Where did you dig this up anyways? Have you heard of technology or is the internet a little too difficult for your obviously minuscule intellect to understand?"

Damon's nostrils flared in furry, but he swiftly smothered his anger and smiled. Not wanting Kevin to have the upper hand he spoke evenly. "You should have heard Javier's eulogy. He really seemed to have cared about you, but I suppose he was always good at the show. A master at making people trust him and believe he's their friend before stabbing them in the back. Honestly, you should be thanking me for saving you from his inevitable betrayal."

Kevin's head snapped up and he glared intensely. "Javier Esposito is a better man than you could ever hope to be!"

Damon's boots smacked loudly against the floor as he leaned in close. "Is that right? Do good men…better men make it a habit of saving someone's life just to turn right around and condemn them to death? Do they lure people into trusting them and the moment they hear something they might not fully agree with switch their loyalty, without so much as a thought?! He didn't even try to talk to me. NO he just turned his back on his friends…his unit and never looked back!"

Detective Ryan held his ground. "It sounds to me that Javi did the right thing. The Javier I know wouldn't have turned his back on anyone, let alone his unit, unless there was something immoral going on. Though, I find it funny that you don't really mention any of your own wrong doings. You just perpetuate this thought that Javier betrayed you. Esposito saved your life; that's what you said, but I really can't see how keeping you alive, like a teammate should, is cause for such hatred."

Damon slowly stood from his chair and glared at Kevin, trembling in his rage. In that moment Ryan knew he pushed a bit too far. The detective's throat tightened and his heart hammered against his rib cage with a panic while the restraints holding him firmly to the chair seemed to tighten further with every step Calder took.  
Light flashed over the dark blade of Damon's military knife still grasped in his rough palm. "Perhaps you are not in the position to judge me or my actions, Detective? Like a little…cornered…bunny. I'm the predator here, not you. Look around. You're mine! Everything that happens to you from now until the end of your miserable life is going to be determined by **me**.

Ryan cried out as his hair was yanked to the side, exposing his neck, and straining the muscles. Panicked eyes slid closed as the cold of Damon's blade appeared against his pale skin; heart shuttering with its closeness to his pulsing vein.

Calder's calculating gaze swept over his captive. Leaning closer to Kevin's face Damon spoke in a forceful whisper. "I could end your life now, and there is nothing you could do to stop me."

Tilting the knife until the point dug into Ryan's skin the madman watched as a slow trickle of crimson trailed down the Irishman's white skin.

Kevin hissed as the pain hit him causing the knife to cut further into his neck. He quickly clenched his teeth to try to prevent his muscles from moving again, while in his head he began to pray, knowing his death was near.

Calder suddenly stepped back. "Don't worry, Kev. I'm not that upset."

Detective Ryan released a shaking breath and lifted his chin high, ignoring the wetness of his own blood. "I've never been very good at being controlled, Calder. If you wanted a bunny you should have gone to a pet store." His voice wavered slightly betraying just how scared Kevin actually was.

A shark-like smile formed across Damon's face at Kevin's words and tone. "We'll see about that."

* * *

The 12th precinct had never seemed so dark and unwelcome to Javier as it did now. Everywhere he looked all he could think about was Kevin and the fact that he would never see him again. Each wall, chair, and creaking floor board was just somewhere Kevin could never lean against, sit in, or walk over again. Throughout the short elevator ride to homicide Javier's thoughts were controlled by the time he and Ryan were stuck in the tight space for three hours and how relieved they both were when they were finally 'saved'. Only now Javier would give anything and everything to be stuck in that stupid elevator with Kevin one more time if it meant he could see and talk to his friend.

The doors slid open and after steeling his emotions the Hispanic detective stepped out and into the bullpen. All the activity ceased as Javier strode swiftly past his many colleagues, looking at none of them, but still feeling their pity. It infuriated him.

Without knocking Esposito walked through Captain Gates' office and dropped his badge and gun heavily on her desk. "I resign from the 12th immediately. I don't really care what you do with my stuff but I don't have any intention of cleaning out our- my desk."

Gates sighed and pulled her glasses off, tossing them next to Esposito's badge. "Detective, I realize that you have suffered a terrible loss. Everyone here shares in your pain-"

"NO!"

Gates leaned back in her chair, looking in surprise at Javier's harsh tone.

Esposito took a calming breath. "No…no one here shares this pain. Captain, Kev-" Javier's voice cracked so he halted his words for a moment trying to control his powerful feelings. "Kevin was my best friend. We were like brothers. So yes everyone here is upset by what happened, but they by no means share my pain."

"I get it. Detective Ryan meant a great deal to you, and that's why you're not thinking straight. Take some time off, figure out what it is you want to do, and then you come back here with a decision. If after that time off you decide you still want to quit then I'll accept your resignation, but if you decide to continue working here your job will be waiting for you."

Esposito's jaw muscle twitched as he looked out over the desks, his gaze passing over Beckett and Castle before landing on his and Ryan's empty desks. "Sorry Sir, but…the wheels fell off and there's no way I'm stepping foot inside this precinct again without Kevin as my partner. Since that will never happen." Javier wiped away an angry tear that slipped from his eyes as he turned his back on Gates and slammed out of her office. The captain's gaze dropped to Javier's badge and gun left there with a defeated sigh.

Beckett and Castle tried calling out to Javier as he stormed out of the bullpen, but their friend ignored them. He smashed the elevator down button, but Esposito hesitated when the doors quickly opened. Flashes of various elevator rides standing shoulder to shoulder with Ryan invaded his troubled mind. Shaking his head the distraught detective turned and took the stairs.

* * *

Well? What did you think? Please review and let me know if you enjoyed this new chapter. I always really appreciate all of your comments and support! What are you guys hoping to see coming up in the story? Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful night, and I'll see you next time...


	9. Chapter 9

Hello all! I am finally back with the newest chapter. Sorry again for the delay. I am probably one of the slowest writers EVER! Haha! Thank you so very much to everyone that reviewed last chapter. I always love reading your response to what I've worked so hard on. It helps motivate me to keep going. Also thank you to everyone that has added this story and me to their follows/favorites lists! It really means a lot to me! You are all wonderful! Just a quick warning: this chapter does contain bad language. Nothing terrible, but curse words none-the-less. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Nine

The fork shook faintly as it traveled up, a bit of scrambled egg just barely holding on, as Kevin's pale hand fought the desire to stab Calder's overly close leg. No he wouldn't stab his captor again. The detective learned the hard way that didn't do anything but cause problems. The last time Ryan tried to escape was the worst. He didn't see sunlight for over a week, being given only enough nourishment to survive. The detective shivered slightly at the memory of being stuck in what Calder called 'the box'. He remembered feeling the walls closing in, suffocating, with nothing but darkness to consume him, but that was almost a month ago. Since then Ryan knew he would have to play nice until his friends figured out he wasn't dead… **if** they figured out he wasn't dead. Kevin quickly shook that negative thought from his mind the action causing his food to drop back to the plate. Groaning in frustration the detective slammed his fork to the wooden table with a loud clang.

"You know, Kev. I could always feed you." Damon's voice was taunting as was his smirk.

Kevin clenched is jaw, refusing to respond, and focused again on the task of eating. Before the detective could even spear another piece of egg with his recovered fork the plate was unexpectedly pulled away from him.

Ryan cried out in distress, knowing what was coming next. Damon was indifferent to his captive's protest as he filled his own fork and lifted it towards Kevin's mouth. The Irishman pulled back as far as his chair would allow, closing his lips tightly.

Calder's smirk shifted into a wide shark-like smile, watching with amusement as his captive tried to defy him. "Come now, Kevin. I think we both know what will happen if you try to defy me. Just open your mouth like a good boy and I won't have to send you to bed without another meal. Who knows the next time I'll feel generous enough to **feed** you again."

Ryan squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to prevent Calder from seeing the forming tears there. He tried to ignore the shooting pains in his empty stomach, and the sensation of spinning that assaulted his senses. He knew he needed food; needed strength. So swallowing his pride Kevin reopened his glistening blue eyes, releasing a lone tear that traveled over a healing green and yellow bruise along his pointed cheek bone, and opened his mouth obediently.

Damon began feeding the worn Irishman with the care of a parent feeding their own child. The action bringing about an unease in the pit of Ryan's stomach and dousing his hunger.

"There…was that so hard?" Calder's voice rumbled deeply highlighting his southern accent. When only silence followed his word, the ex-military man's rough hand shot out and gripped his captive's face unrelentingly. His fingertips matched up perfectly with the deep blue bruises already left there. Humming disapprovingly, "I thought we discussed this, Kevin. When I ask you a question…you **answer me**!" Damon cautioned in a raised voice.

The detective flinched at his tormentor's shout and whispered softly. "I…I'm sorry."

Steely grey eyes narrowed slightly before Damon released his strong grip and pat his prisoner's pale cheek lightly. "It's alright. You're just a little tired, Kev."

They finished their breakfast without another incident before Calder led the NYPD detective back to his 'room' locking the door securely behind him. Stumbling down the stairs Ryan held tightly to the handrail in the hopes that his knees wouldn't buckle under him. Carefully, he made his way to the small bathroom next to the ratty mattress that brought him no sleep. Splashing cool water over his face Ryan looked up at his reflection in the small dingy mirror and found it difficult to recognize the face looking back.

His skin had a tint of grey pallor except for the many bruises decorating various parts of his body. Gingerly, the detective's pale slender fingers began his daily ritual of cleaning the many cuts received at the hands of his kidnapper. Hissing from the sting Ryan worked deftly his movements on autopilot from the numerous times he has treated his wounds in the past few months. The bone joint outlines of his raw discolored wrists jutting out with each movement of his hands as he slowing lifted his shirt. With care Ryan prodded his three broken ribs, hoping to gage their healing progress. After his inspection the weakened Irishman's fingertips ghosted over the visible lines of his ribcage; rage swelling in his chest at the hopelessness of his situation. Before he could stop himself Kevin smashed his fist into the mirror one, two, three times, the glass shattering to the ground around his bare feet. His chest heaving with his racing breath Ryan gripped the sides of the sink, hands slick with blood, as he tried to calm himself.

Dull haunted blue eyes flicked up, staring into the last few glass shards that still clung to the mirror's backing on the wall. The sight began to blur as Kevin's eyes filled with tears of frustration, blinking rapidly to clear his vision the detective's gaze lowered to his now bloodied hands. In somewhat of a trance, he watched the small tickles of crimson glided down the bowl of the sink and swirled slowly down the drain an idea forming in Ryan' mind. A very stupid, very dangerous and reckless plan. Clenching his jaw until the muscles there hurt detective Ryan ripped a strip of fabric from his shirt, carefully wrapped it around his right hand, and picked up the largest piece of glass from the floor that he could find.

* * *

" _Javs! What the Hell were you thinking?! What is our unit's motto?!"_

" _If you fall behind you're left behind." Javier answered back his voice strained as he pulled Damon's injured almost deadweight with him. "But with all due respect Damon that's bullshit! I couldn't leave you to die or worse…you're my friend Damn it! If you wanted someone that could write you off like a lost hat then you picked the wrong person to train!"_

 _Carefully, Javier lowered his injured leader to the sandy ground and pulled up his rifle using the scope to check if they were still being followed. Major Calder watched him with curiosity, blinking away the blood leaking over his eyelid from a deep cut on his forehead. The injured solider held tightly to his middle where his ribs had been abused, careful not to touch the angry burns littering his chest._

" _I knew I saw something special in you. No one…ever in my life has done something like that for me. You could have easily been killed, but you came to rescue me…against immeasurable odds…on your own. It was near suicide."_

 _Content with their position Javier sat down across from his friend. "You can thank me once we make it back to camp. Right now we've got to find shelter so I can bandage your wound up right. I did not just go through all that just so you could croak from infection before we get back."_

 _The southerner laughed then coughed, spitting out blood. "Well I'll hold my thanks then."_

 _The Hispanic soldier smiled and reached over to help Calder to his feet, but Damon held up his hands, stopping him. "Listen Javs. When we get back…there's something I want to tell you. After tonight there's no doubt in my mind that I can trust you. Trust you with my life."_

 _Confusion flashed behind Javier's brown eyes. "What does that mean? Of course you can trust me. We've got each other's backs. We're a team."_

 _Calder allowed Esposito to lift him up. "You can never be too careful when it comes to trusting someone. Always remember that."_

 _ **Bang, bang, bang!**_

 _Javier pulled Damon behind a large boulder for cover as the bullets started. Throwing his CO a spare pistol the two shared a quick look before returning fire._

 **Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!**

"Javier open up!"

Cracking his slightly glazed brown eyes, Esposito looked around at his messy living room. The remnants of his memory when he saved Calder's life slowly ebbing away from his consciousness.

"I know you're home. I can see the light from under your door. Also if I'm being perfectly honest I used the find your phone app. So unless you're being very reckless with the IPhone I so generously bought you then you're definitely in there." Richard Castle yelled through the locked door of Javier's apartment.

Javier leaned his head back against the couch and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to dull the sudden throbbing there. "Go away, Castle!" His voice came out rough and scratchy from lack of use.

"Uh…no."

"What?!"

"No I will not leave. You may not fully feel this way but I consider you a friend, a good friend, and you're hurting, I don't walk away from my friends that are hurting and in need of help." Rick said sincerely as he leaned his body against the door.

Javier slowly rose from his seat, his eyes slightly watery. "I don't need any help, Castle. What I need is to be left alone." His voice cracking on the last word, prompting an angry growl to follow.

Castle took a thoughtful breath. "But that's the thing, Javi…you're not alone."

The Hispanic detective staggered towards the door, knowing he should open it and face Castle; face the world. As he was in reaching distance of the doorknob, his hand hovering just inches from its destination, he stopped. With dark eyes Javier observed the slight tremors rippling through his outstretched hand.

"Okay fine! If I have to I'll just sit here all day and night and day again and night again. I mean it! I have pages due to my editor so I'm looking for an excuse to delay actually working."

Javier flexed his shaking hand and rolled his eyes before opening his apartment door. Castle tumbling across the threshold as the door he was only moments before sitting against was pulled away. In an almost comically manner Richard stumbled back to his feet, righted his coat, and flash Javier a bright, albeit forced, smile.

"Why are you here, Castle?"

The writer silently strengthened his resolve, and pushed past Javier farther into the disaster of his friend's apartment. Rick's perceptive eyes swept slowly over the numerous empty glass bottles of various alcoholic beverages that littered the kitchen and attached living area. There was dirty clothes strewn about the room and a few places where the walls had been dented, which ones were by a fist or an object, Castle wasn't sure. However, it wasn't the state of the room or his friend's hastily bandaged knuckles that halted the novelist's steps, but the completely untouched bottle of Irish whiskey Kevin had brought Javier from his honeymoon in Ireland as a gift that stood on the otherwise empty coffee table.

"I'm here because I thought you might want to help me, Kate, and Sam on our new case." Rick said, clapping his hands together loudly.

A jolt of sadness shot through Javier's heart at the mention of his partner's replacement. Samuel Whitmore was a good kid, a good cop, and Esposito would be forever grateful for his help tracking Kevin…even if it didn't work out the way they all had hoped. There was even a part of Javier that was glad Sam was the person who took over Ryan's job, but the Hispanic detective resented that the position needed to be filled at all.

Brushing his sadness aside Javier focused on an easier emotion, anger. "I don't work for the NYPD anymore, remember?" He growled through clenched teeth.

Castle looked taken aback by the hostility rolling off his friend and started to rethink this plan. Kate told him not to come, not to tell Javier yet. She didn't want him involved until they had more to go on, but Rick couldn't help himself. He knew his friend deserved to be informed of what was happening. But now, standing in front of Javier, a shell of his former-self, Castle wasn't so sure.

"Espo, just listen to me for a moment. I really think you'll want to-"

"NO!" Javier cut the writer off with a cry.

Startled by his sudden outburst Castle stumbled back a step, but Richard Castle was known as many things, and a quitter was **not** one of them. "Okay…okay so maybe you need a coffee or something before we talk. I can make us-"

Patience spent Javier gripped Castle's upper arm in a slightly painful hold and pulled him back towards the door. "I don't care what you want to tell me. I don't care what your new case is. I do not work for the NYPD anymore. Now leave me be!"

The door rushing to close in his face triggered a panic in the writer's chest. He couldn't let Javier close that door, not when he is so clearly wrecked. With time for only one final attempt Castle shouted the one things his friend wouldn't be able to ignore. "It's Calder!"

The wooden panels jerked to a halt just inches from its frame. "What?" The weary former detective's voice questioned.

"It's Calder. He tripped up. We found him on some security footage while investigating our new case, and we have a plan to catch him…but we need your help."

As predicated Javier opened the door fully, his brown eyes clearer than only moments before, and his voice firm. "Tell me everything."

* * *

Aww Castle is a good friend. What did you think of the newest chapter? Leave me a review to let me know if I'm doing alright. I hope to get a bit more consistent on uploading, but sadly I can only get so much writing done with my busy schedule. Believe me though, I cannot stand leaving anything unfinished. So it may take time, but I will complete all of my outstanding stories. What do you think will happen to Ryan? What kind of crazy plan does he have up his sleeve? Thanks for reading! Until next time…


	10. Chapter 10

Hello all! I'm going to keep this short and sweet. Thank you to everyone who has been supporting this story and me as an author. For every review, follow, and favorite I thank you sincerely for your support. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Ten

"Castle, tell me." Esposito urged as he tore through his apartment, looking for everything he needed to leave.

The writer watched him in a daze completely transfixed by his friend's frantic movements. "Uh, okay. Well we were looking at what first appeared to be a simple drugstore robbery gone wrong."

"Why would Beckett be assigned a robbery death?" Javier interrupted.

"As much as it pains me to say: Demming asked for her help with the case."

Javier smirked to himself when he heard Castle's statement followed up with the author whispering, "I hate Demming," under his breath.

"Anyways, Beckett offered to have Sam look over the security footage while she, Demming, and I checked out the crime scene again."

Javier slipped his arms into his olive green jacket and placed his phone in the side pocket. "Why did Demming ask for Kate's help? What makes this case special at all?"

"Because after the robber killed the cashier he turned to look at another customer in the store. It looked like he was going to shoot the guy, but instead he turned the gun on himself. And when Sam was reviewing the footage he recognized the customer. It was-"

"Damon Calder." The Hispanic detective finished Rick's sentence curtly.

"Yeah." Richard breathed out, following behind Javier as he strode out the door.

* * *

Ryan weakly paced the length of his prison unable to sit still for more than a few seconds. He still had the large shard of mirror held tightly in his wrapped hand, but even having a weapon did nothing to steady his fanatically beating heart. The young detective knew in his gut this was a bad idea; that he should just wait for his friends to find him. But Kevin also knew that if he didn't at least try **something** soon he would die down in this dingy basement in the middle of nowhere. The father, husband, son, brother, and friend in him would not accept that fate. Kevin Ryan would **not** die like this.

Creaking above halted Kevin's pacing and sped up his already racing pulse. Carefully the NYPD detective followed his captor's footstep from each sound the floor made. When he was sure Calder was heading towards the basement door Ryan rushed to the back corner covered in darkness, hoping to take the former military man by surprise.

"Kevin, you're in for a treat. I brought home some of the best pizza in New York City for dinner." Damon called out in excitement as he slowly descended the stairs.

When no response was given Calder narrowed his cold grey eyes at the ajar bathroom door and silently placed his hand on his still holstered gun. "Ah, come on Kev. Don't be like this. I know you're still upset about earlier, but I was only looking out for you. Kevin?"

Cautiously, Damon reached out with his right hand to push open the bathroom door fully while pulling his pistol free with his left. A few strands of dark blond hair shifted over one of Calder's eyes as he stepped through the threshold. A spike of annoyance building in his chest.

A crunching noise pulled the searching man's attention to his black combat boots and the surrounding shattered pieces of mirror littering the floor. Frowning, Damon's mind didn't have a chance to fully comprehend what those sharp shards meant before a searing pain ripped through his left shoulder. The highly trained warrior tumbled forward, slamming into the wall, as Kevin threw all of his bodyweight into his surprise attack.

Adrenaline fueling his body, detective Ryan drove the piece of glass into his captor's shoulder with everything he had and shoved the man further into the bathroom, pushing the door closed swiftly as Calder's body met the wall. Stumbling Ryan moved as fast as he could to the metal shelving unit next to the bathroom door. Screaming through clench teeth with effort the injured detective succeeded at blocking Calder in. Sparing no time Kevin pushed his battered and abused body up the stairs just as loud banging signaled his time to get away was running out.

Raging, Damon's furious voice roared at Kevin as the cruel man made quick work of escaping the small bathroom. "I'm going to make you PAY FOR THAT! KEVIN! KEVIN! GAHHHH!"

Detective Ryan didn't look back as he burst through the basement door; the cabin's front door soon following. He didn't take any time to think of which direction to run, or find something to arm himself with, his only thought to get away. Kevin didn't give consideration to his bare feet being cut by the rough forest floor with each desperate step he took or his numerous injures hindering him. He just ran.

* * *

Javier's fingers twitched against his thigh while his dark eyes glared up at the glowing floor numbers above the elevator doors, willing them to move faster. His mind running wild with all the different ways he would like to kill Calder after they caught him. The Hispanic detective felt a tension in his shoulders at being back in the 12th without his brother at his side. The feeling making him want to turn right back around and leave with no intentions of ever looking back. He couldn't do that though. He needed to finish this…for Kevin.

Castle hadn't said a word to Javier since entering the building and Esposito was grateful. He needed the quiet. A sharp ding sounded just before the double doors open sluggishly to reveal the homicide department. Swallowing thickly Javier stepped off the elevator just behind Castle and shook off the many stares directed at him. With anger powering him Detective Esposito crossed the old wooden floors and marched with propose to a stunned looking Kate, pointedly ignoring his partner's replacement sitting equally stunned at Ryan's old desk.

"I'm here to catch the bastard!" Javier growled as soon as he reached Beckett.

Kate narrowed her eyes at her friend's tone and quickly sent a glare at Castle over Javier's shoulder. "I thought I told you not to get Javi involved yet. We still don't know what's going on or have any idea of where to start looking for Calder."

"And out of anybody Espo's got the best chance of figuring that out." Rick said confidently.

"He is also the one person who shouldn't be on this case. I'm sorry Espo. You're just too close to this."

"HE KILLED MY BEST FRIEND!" Javier roared breathing heavily. His hands shook uncontrollably at his sides, making the detective have to clench them into tight fists, hoping to hide the action from Beckett. He didn't succeed.

Silence fell over the precinct after the sudden outburst and Kate placed a gentle hand on Esposito's taut shoulder. "Come on, Javi. You know I can't have you work this. Just as you know you shouldn't work it. I'm surprised Gates hasn't taken us off the case yet."

Clearing the burning sensation in his throat Javier spoke unsteadily. "You have to let me help, Kate…please...I...I need to do something."

Kathrine Beckett's heart ached as she stood motionless, sharing in Esposito's pain. Kate would be lying if she said she too wasn't out for blood. Calder took away someone she loved and in doing so created an emptiness in herself, much like after her mother's death. Beckett wanted revenge; more than anything she wanted Calder to pay. However she may feel though, Kate knew what craving vengeance did to someone. She knew what it was like to lose yourself in it like she did looking for her mother's killer. It took her a long time to put her head on straight. She was an NYPD detective, and an upholder of the law. So no matter how much she craved retribution for Kevin's murder she would follow the law as she pledged the moment she entered law enforcement, and arrest the man that killed one her chosen brothers. If Espo was there when Beckett found Calder she wasn't sure she could…would want to stop him from killing the man that ruined their lives by taking Kevin's.

Detective Beckett opened her mouth to order Javier home when her warm eyes finally connected with his hollow yet determined ones. She knew he would never go home now. Not when they finally had a lead on Calder, even a lead as small as this one. Sighing heavily Kate spoke sternly. "Fine you can help, but Javi we bring him in **alive**. I know all you have been thinking about since Rick told you is how you can kill him and probably in various ways each one more painful than the last, but we have to do this the right way. Kevi…Kevin wouldn't have wanted you to throw your life away."

Esposito's cheek muscle twitched with the strain from grinding his teeth firmly the moment Beckett said Kevin's name. Swallowing down his emotions Javier tried to keep his voice steady. "Thank you. What do you guys have so far?"

"Uh…Detective Esposito?" A tentative voice suddenly sounded from behind Javier.

The Hispanic detective snapped his gaze at the new voice almost forgetting that Sam was still here, sitting at his partner's desk.

When he was sure he had Javier's attention Sam spoke again his pale green eyes were steady but his voice hesitant. "I…I just wanted to say how…incredibly sorry I am for…for everything. I hope we can work together to get this Bastard. Kevin Ryan was a kind, and generous soul. He was the first person to make me feel like I didn't make a mistake transferring here from my last precinct. He didn't deserve what happened, and I wish I could have tracked him sooner. May…maybe you guys could have saved him if I was better, and for that I…I'm sorry."

Javier had every intention of ignoring Samuel Whitmore, not needing the constant reminder of his loss, but it was difficult to continue with that plan when the young detective up and spouts his feelings of unnecessary guilt. "Whitmore, if it wasn't for you we may not have ever found Kevin. Things didn't go how any of us would have liked, but that was in no part your fault. Now take what you're feeling and **use it**."

Samuel's face lit up with a genuine smile of gratitude. "I will, Sir."

Javier grimaced. "No way are you calling me that. It's just Javier or Esposito. If you need to Detective Esposito will also do, but if you call me sir again we're gonna have a problem."

Sam laughed while Castle sent him a wink from behind Javier just as his cell phone began to ring. Pulling the object out of his pocket the young detective's smile faltered for a split-second before the smile was back in place. "I'm really sorry but I have to take this. It's my girlfriend, pregnant girlfriend, and she had a doctor's appointment today. I'll be quick I swear."

Kate smiled a warm smile at the youngest member of her team. "Of course Sam. Say hi to Becca for me."

Samuel sent her a quick nod as he stood from his chair and answered the phone, cutting off its' shrill ringing. "Hey Babe! What'd the doctor say?"

Carefully, the young detective made his way through the multitude of cops surrounding him and leaned up against the wall in a quiet corner as a deep and stress-filled voice answered him. "We have to move the timetable up."

Samuel released a slow breath, trying to keep his anger in check. "What do you mean?! Javier just got back into the investigation! We can't just speed things up now." He whispered in a clearly frustrated tone.

Chuckling darkly, "That's funny. It almost sounded like you were telling me what 'we' can and can't do, but that's obviously not what happened. I mean after I gave you everything you ever wanted; respect, a new identity, a place on Beckett's team. I own you, Sammy."

Detective Whitmore closed his eyes in an attempt to suppress his annoyance. "I don't need you to remind me of what you've done for me, Damon. I know I owe you. How exactly do you expect me to speed up your plan without making them suspicious of me? Need I remind you that you still need me on the inside? It wouldn't do any good if I was say…arrested or if Esposito killed me."

Damon Calder smirked. "I don't know Javier killing you could still work for my plan." The ex-military man crouched low to the forest's floor his cold eyes surveying the tracks dug deeply into the dirt. Reaching out Calder placed two figures to the earth, bringing them back he brushed slowly over the blood now staining his fingertips with a smile. "I don't care what you have to say or how you have to say it. Just get them moving faster."

Calder tuned out Samuel's new complaint as he breathed in deeply. The scent of a camp fire tickling his nose, prompting Calder to scan the horizon looking for any sign of smoke. He saw a faint outline of grey smoke against the orange sky not far from his position in direction that the tracks were leading. Standing hastily Damon grunted with the sudden pain shooting down his back from his shoulder wound and after a moment started towards the fire as if nothing was wrong. "Now if you'll excuse me Sammy. I have a misbehaving bunny to catch."

* * *

Samuel NOOOO! Why are you helping Calder?! Oh that's right because I wrote it that way. Haha! What did you all think? I was very saddened to hear of Castle's cancellation. I was hoping to get more Ryan and Esposito in the new season, but what can you do. Thankfully, I can write all the Ryan and Esposito that I like! Until next time!


	11. Chapter 11

Thank you everyone for reading, reviewing, and adding my story and me as an author to your favorite/follow lists! I really appreciate all the wonderful support! You are all awesome! Enjoy the new chapter.

* * *

Chapter Eleven

"One foot in front of the other. Come on keep going. Keep running. Faster…faster…. **faster**!" Kevin Ryan urged himself quietly, unaware he was actually speaking his words aloud, as he pushed his body past its' limits. Suddenly, the detective's knees gave out and he went rolling down a slight hillside slamming against a tree. His ribs screamed in agony where he impacted with the solid object, stealing his breath away. The edges of Kevin's vision turned black as he laid on the dirt struggling for hitched breath, fighting against overwhelming pain and exhaustion.

"Kev? Kevin, you need to get up. Open those beautiful blue eyes of yours' okay? Open your eyes, Kevin!"

The young detective didn't realized his eyes had slipped close until he opened them again to see the face of his beautiful wife Jenny hovering over him. Blinking in confusion Kevin's sight blurred with tears. "You're not real. Jen…you're just in my head."

Smiling sadly Jenny spoke again. "Kevin, I need you to keep fighting. You have to keep going. You've got to make it back home to me and Sarah Grace."

Choking on a sob the overly pale Irishman shook his head back and forth rapidly. Leaves from the forest floor tangling in his dark brown hair. "No…I…I can't, Jen. I don't have any strength left to fight. I'm sorry."

"Kevin Ryan! You know as well as I do that you will always fight for the people you love! Now get your ass up and fight!"

"You're not even really here." Detective Ryan whispered dejectedly.

Kevin's hallucination of Jenny reached out and started to brush the hair out his eyes in a way she always did. The memory of feeling her fingertips ghosting over his skin could almost convince the injured man this was really happening. "Do you remember when I told how I knew I was going to marry you? Do you remember when it was?"

Detective Ryan knew none of this was real, but it was better than reality at the moment, so he let himself relax against the cold ground and believe. "Yeah. You said…it was when I took you to my family's cabin for that weekend."

"A few months after we started dating. Do you remember it?" Jenny encouraged gently.

Kevin huffed out a pain-filled laugh. "Yeah. God, what a disaster that trip was. I thought for sure you were going to break up with me as soon as we got back."

Kevin's glazed blue eyes watched as a fond smile spread across his wife's face before continuing in an exhausted voice. "After being stuck on the side of the road for three hours with a flat tire, of which I didn't have a spare, we finally made it to the cabin only to have it turn out to be one of the coldest weekends that year. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem except there was no firewood anywhere in the cabin to keep the place warm."

After Kevin's words trailed off Jenny picked up the story easily. "So we loaded ourselves back into the car and made our way to that small general store ten miles out. With you apologizing profusely the entire drive."

"Yeah..." Kevin said quietly. "We made it back and midway through cooking you dinner the fuses went out. Nothing went right that trip."

"Oh I don't know. I really enjoyed that weekend. My favorite part was curling up on the couch together." Jenny smiled, bringing about the crinkles around her eyes.

"Jen, we had to sleep curled up on the couch because we couldn't warm up any other part of the cabin." Kevin chuckled, but hissed in pain only a second later.

Jenny frowned, "I watched you sleep for a while. I can still remember the way you looked in the fire's glow. I remember thinking about all the day's events and missteps, knowing right then and there that I wanted to marry you. I realized that I couldn't see a future that didn't involve you. Because even-though the trip was filled with road bumps you didn't stop trying…not for one second. I saw the determination that drove you and I knew you would do anything for someone you care about."

Kevin's throat burned with his overwhelming emotions. "Jenny, you already told me all of this. On our wedding night. Why?" The detective couldn't seem to find the strength to finish his question. So instead he blinked away the tears welling in his tired eyes.

"I'm not really here, Kev. You know that. It's why you're thinking of our conversation. You needed me to help you find the strength you and I both know you have to fight. To get back up. To make it home to me and our baby girl."

"I don't know if I can." He whispered brokenly.

Ryan's hallucination of Jenny started to drift in and out of focus. "I do. I know you can. Kevin? Can you smell that?"

The barely conscious man closed his eyes and breathed in as deeply as his abused ribs would allow. "Smoke? Like from the fire that night."

Opening his eyelids Kevin felt a surge of sadness when his wife's face was no longer hovering above him. It took him longer than it should to understand that the scent of smoke still lingering in the air wasn't from his distant memory, but was in fact from a real fire nearby.

Sluggishly, Ryan pulled himself up against the rough tree next to him. It took him several tries but finally the injured man made it to his unsteady feet. Stumbling he set his sights toward the sprawling dark plumes of smoke just over the other side of the hill, hoping to find salvation.

* * *

Samuel angrily pushed his disconnected phone back in his pant pocket then ran both of his hands through his light brown hair, slightly disrupting the neatly put together look. Breathing deeply in and out the newly made detective lifted his green eyes to the ceiling in frustration. Racking his brain for what to do, an idea began to form. Pushing off the wall Sam slipped silently over to an unattended computer and typing feverishly, setup everything he needed to make this plan work.

Once he had everything lined up Samuel sent a quick text back to Calder giving him the details and rearranged his face to a bright and cheerful expression. Without pause, the detective moved over to his team members who were fast at work.

Kate looked over from the whiteboard as Detective Whitmore approached. "Hey Sam. Everything go alright?"

Samuel stretched his lips into a wide smile. "I'm going to have a boy! Becca said the doctor told her everything is moving beautifully. I…I still can't believe it."

Castle joined the group, handing a coffee to his wife. "Congratulations, Samuel! That's great news."

"Yeah. Thanks, Castle." Sam let his eyes drift to Javier, whose full attention seemed to be on the security footage of Calder they got from the robbery. "I should get back to work. Calder is our main priority…then baby talk." Sam finished with a smile.

Javier glanced up as Whitmore sat down at the desk across from him and felt a heavily feeling settle in his gut. Kevin was supposed to be the person at that desk, not some young kid. Not some twenty-something trying to climb the ladder. Shaking his head from those thoughts Javier internally chastised himself for his unjust anger towards Sam. He didn't deserve it. Sam was just the person chosen to replace his dead partner and best friend, but Whitmore didn't do anything wrong.

Javier was broken from his thoughts by Samuel's unexpected voice. "No way. Beckett! I think I may have found something on Calder's possible whereabouts!"

In less the ten seconds Samuel had Rick, Kate, and Javier flanking him and his computer screen. "What do you have?" Beckett asked, her tone all business.

Samuel took a steadying breath. "After looking over the footage from the robbery I started to think maybe Calder wanted us to know he was still around. That made he think that he must be staying somewhere nearby. Otherwise, what would be the point?"

Castle gave Samuel an odd look. "Makes sense."

"Right. So I have been putting calls into all the apartment buildings and hotels in a ten mile radius, looking through their records. As well as scanning hours or traffic cameras in the general area of the store the day of the robbery, just trying to find anything. I found a temporary lease agreement at the Lily View Apartments under the name Darin Carter. Here's a picture of the license on file."

Samuel clicked the mouse once and a picture of Damon Calder popped up on the screen. Growling lowly in his throat, Javier pushed himself away from the screen and looked directly at Beckett.

"I need my gun back." He said firmly.

Kate bit her lip with uncertainty. "Javi, I don't think you should come with us."

"Like Hell I'm not! Come on, Beckett!" Esposito raised his voice.

Kate looked at Javier then to Castle, but frowned slightly when she noticed her husband's scrutinizing gaze sweeping over Samuel. "Okay Javier, but you listen to orders. You got me? We are bring him in alive."

* * *

Ryan felt his left knee starting to give away again, so he reached out to steady himself against a nearby tree. He was almost there. The smell of smoke becoming stronger with each struggled step. He just had to push a bit more. Gritting his teeth, the NYPD detective shoved off the tree and stumbled the last few steps, finally making his way to the top of the small hill he had been traversing.

Kevin's breath caught in his throat as tears of hope sprang to his eyes at the sight that greeted him. Just down the hill and across a tiny stream was a quaint log cabin, complete with front porch, and smoke spitting chimney. In the front of the cabin a young girl no older than five was playing with what an outsider would assume was her younger brother. The boy, only a few years younger than his sister, was barreling on slightly unsteady legs, zigzagging around with no real direction in mind as his sister chased him with glee. The children's high-pitched laughter danced on the air, lifting Kevin's spirits further.

The young Irishman's vivid blue eyes shifted from the children to a young black-haired woman sitting comfortably on a bench swing on the porch, watching the two with an attentive gaze. Detective Ryan felt himself smile in utter relief and pulled in as much air into his lungs as his damaged ribs could handle. Taking a wobbly step forward Kevin cleared his throat and called out. "Hey!"

The injured man's voice came out in a wheeze much too quiet to even carry on the wind to his salvation. Groaning in frustration, Kevin pushed himself off the tree he was using for support to make the demanding trek closer to the small family when a calloused hand clasped tightly over his parched lips and harshly yanked him backwards.

The detective immediately lost his footing and scrambling wildly to find any sort of purchase on the ground. To Kevin's complete dismay the cabin slowly began to shrink in size as he was forcefully dragged away. Heart pounding deafeningly in his ears the young man knew he had to do something…anything to stop them. In a last ditch effort, Ryan used his last bit of energy to dig his heels deeply into the dirt, effectively slowly his captor down, and unexpectedly threw his body sideways to knock them both off balance. It worked and they fell to the ground and tumbled down the hillside. Disappointingly, on the opposite side of where the cabin stood.

Kevin rolled to a stop and clutching his screaming ribs scurried backwards away from the already approaching and enraged Damon Calder. The ex-military man reached out as soon as he was close enough and caught Kevin's ankle, dragging his prey back towards him. The Irishman yelped in pain, and quickly sucked in a breath to yell for help only to have Calder's hand once again silencing him.

Kevin began frantically shoving at the massive body above him, hitting the man's chest and face as forcefully as he could. When none of his weak attacks seemed to do anything other than sap more and more of his dwindling energy the young detective turned his attention to the hand covering his mouth. Ryan latched both of his pale hands to Damon's forearm, nails digging into his flesh hard enough to draw blood, and tried to dislodge the offending object silencing him. Throughout the fight, Kevin continued screaming and shouting with muffled cries, hoping someone at the cabin would somehow hear him.

Fed up, Calder took his free hand, balling it into a fist and slammed the side of Kevin's head, momentarily stunning the already vastly injured man. The monster of a man didn't waste any time as he took his captive's arms and pin them down with his legs, sitting himself atop Kevin's heaving chest.

The feeling of being completely trapped sent Detective Ryan into a full blown panic. The dark-haired man thrashed his head trying desperately to get his mouth free as the burning of tears stung in his blue eyes. His muffled cries picking up in a more hurried frequency.

Damon reached behind his back and revealed his large knife before leaning down, his face stopping only inches from his captive's. "Go on, Kevin. Do it. Call out to that poor defenseless family. Bring them over here so I can teach you a lesson about disobeying me."

Kevin stilled, eyes going wide, as Damon continued his taunting. "I'll make sure to take care of the mother and father first right in front of their children's eyes. But do you know what I'll do? I'll save the little girl for last. Is that what you want?"

The injured detective swallowed with difficulty and squeezed his eyelids closed, a line of tears slipping down his pale cheek. Calder watched the man with cold indifference and remove his hand from Ryan's mouth. Leaning even closer Damon spoke directly into his hostage's ear. "Go on Kev. Murder an entire family. I'm itching to release my frustrations right about now."

"I'm sorry. Please…don't hurt them. They have nothing to do with any of this. I…I won't try to run again. I swear…just don't." Kevin pleaded in a distraught whisper.

Damon sat back and a cruel smile spread across his face. "You know I can't let this go unpunished Kevin."

Ryan knew what was coming but that didn't stop his heart from leaping into his throat with Calder's next words. "Maybe a few more days in 'the box' will remind you who you belong to."

"No, Damon…please don't." The extremely pale detective mumbled desperately, shaking his head rapidly in disbelief.

A near silent ding sounded, prompting Calder to check his phone. The ex-military man read a text message, paying his now controlled hostage no mind. "Looks like we have to cut this little forest drama short. I've got an appointment with an old friend."

* * *

We're nearing the end everyone. Only a few more chapters left! Review and let me know what you thought of this new chapter and what you hope to see happen in the end. As always thank you all so very much for reading! Until next time…


	12. Chapter 12

Hi again! A giant thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I really love reading all of the reviews. It's great to see what you guys think of my work. Also a huge thank you to everyone who added my story and me as an author to their alert/favorite lists! I absolutely appreciate the support. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Twelve

Richard Castle replayed the events of the last hour once again in his head. After months of searching and hoping for any sort of lead on the man that murdered his friend. To have caught him in under an hour? Something just didn't add up to the mystery writer. Everything just seemed far too easy. He raked his critical gaze over the muscular man sitting calming in the interrogation room through the two-way mirror. Damon Calder was flexing his fingers slowly, staring straight ahead, as if bored. And even-though the man was handcuffed to the metal table he radiated a dangerous energy that unsettled Castle.

The door on the other side of the interrogation room opened and Calder's face morphed from indifference into a wide smile as Javier and Kate walked in.

"Hey there, Kid. It's been awhile. You don't look so good. Have you not been sleeping well lately?" Damon asked smugly.

Javier glared fiercely at his old mentor, but didn't rise to the bait. Instead he took a seat calmly in front of the man from his past and let Kate take the lead.

"Mr. Calder, I'm sure that you're more than aware of the reason you're here." Kate started but was quickly interrupted.

"No…why don't you remind me? Or better yet; why don't you remind me, Javier?"

Esposito's jaw muscle jumped with strain, but it was Detective Beckett that lost her cool, slamming her hand loudly against the table. "You think all of this is a game; don't you?! You murdered our friend! Someone kind, and funny! One of the greatest people I've ever met. And let me tell you something, for that I'm going to personally make sure you burn!"

Damon shifted his gaze from a fuming Kate to Esposito and raise an eyebrow.

"Don't look at me. You'd be dead already if it were up to me." Javier snapped angrily.

Damon leaned closer to the two detectives, chest resting above his bound wrists. "I don't believe you. You're hiding it well, but you're probably relieved to be rid of Kevin. Now you don't have to carry his deadweight anymore. He won't be able to hold you back from reaching your true potential. The potential I saw in you all those years ago."

Enraged the Hispanic detective jumped up, his chair clattering to the ground, and lunged at Calder. Gripping the prisoner roughly around his neck Esposito brought his face barely a few inches from his old mentor's, seething with rage. "Don't talk about him like that!"

Stunned for a moment Beckett quickly shook herself and gripped Javier's upper arm tightly. "Javi, let him go. Stop!"

Javier trembled with furious anger. "How is it fair that you're still alive when Kevin isn't? All the pain and suffering you've caused. I should kill you right now. I'm going to kill you." The detective's voice was distraught and desperate. His eyes blurring with welling tears. Tears of frustration, pain, and complete sorrow. The detective was so lost in his emotions that Javier didn't even register the door to the interrogation room opening, or Castle running in to help Kate pull him off Damon.

As soon as Calder was released the man began to chuckle, his voice rough from being choked. "Now I don't think Kevin will like this very much. You're cracking, splitting at the seams, Kid. It wasn't even that hard to break you. I'm almost disappointed."

By now a few other officers entered the room to help restrain Javier, but even with the added muscle it was still a struggle to keep the fuming detective back as Esposito lunged again for the taunting man.

Suddenly, Castle stepped into the space between Calder and Javier, looking at the prisoner calculatingly. "What did you just say?"

"What does it matter?! Everything that comes out of his mouth is manipulative and vile." Javier spat in hate, still trying to loosen the grip holding him back.

Richard moved slowly closer to Calder, only stopping when his wife halted his steps with a gentle hand. "No…everything you've done...everything you've said has been incredibly deliberate."

Damon swept his amused grey eyes to the mystery writer's face, waiting for him to continue, but it was Kate's voice the sounded. "What are you getting at, Rick?"

Castle looked briefly at his wife. "Everything he has done has been planned with great attention to detail. Every move, even every word he's spoken." Looking back at Damon Richard pointed an accusing finger at the man. "You said you didn't think Kevin **will** like this. As if Kevin was still alive, and I don't think you'd make a mistake like that."

Javier stopped struggling as a small flicker of hope ignited in his chest. The room went deathly silent with everyone looking at their prisoner in anticipation of his reaction.

"And the point goes to the mystery writer. Really, Javier I thought I taught you better than this. Though it is true Detective Ryan is still alive he won't be in…oh I'd say four hours or so." Calder stated smugly.

Castle's eyebrows drew together. "What happens in four hours?"

Damon leaned back in his chair a smile spreading across his face, but didn't answer the question. Javier pulled himself free with a sudden yank and stomped toward his old mentor. "What the Hell happens in four hours, Damon?!"

"He runs out of air." The former military man said in a steady emotionless voice.

Javier's steps faltered abruptly with the confession and a shock of numbness shot through his entire body. Mind shuttering to a stop the Hispanic detective stood still with no idea of what to do or what to think. His best friend was still alive, but was trapped someplace with limited oxygen. It was cruel that he couldn't even relish in the joy that Kevin wasn't dead, that he could see him, talk to him, and joke with him once again. Because knowing their friend was alive wasn't enough when they could lose him all over again in a matter of hours.

After a moment words finally began to form and slip numbly passed Javier's lips. "What do you want?" He asked hoarsely.

The room's occupants watched the broken detective and dangerous prisoner warily. It was easy for Kate, a seasoned detective, to see the defeat in Javier. It wasn't just because of the way his shoulder suddenly slumped forward or the way his usually warm and vibrant brown eyes took on a dull and hollowed look. It was because she knew Javier. She knew how deeply he cared for people, especially for Kevin. Beckett had to watch as her friend fell completely to pieces when they all thought Ryan was lost to them and now looking at the shell of Esposito's former self she knew without a doubt he would do anything to bring his friend back. Even if that meant sacrificing himself, and it was her job to make sure that didn't happen.

Finally, Damon answered Detective Esposito's question, seeming to have found what he was looking through his silent scrutiny of him. "You. I want you, Kid."

Before Javier could respond Kate snapped, "Not gonna happen. Javier isn't going anywhere with you."

"You and me, Kid. We're going to walk out of here alone and I'll take you to your best friend, partner, brother, whatever you like to call him." Damon said ignoring Kate.

Getting angrier by the second Beckett stepped between Esposito and Calder. Her hand unconsciously moving to her sidearm still holstered at her hip. "I said that's not going to happen. You're going to jail, while we do our job to find Kevin. There isn't any possible scenario where you walk out of this precinct handcuff free."

That seemed to get Damon's attention as he shifted his gaze to Beckett. "Is that what you think? Seems you don't know Javier as well as I do. He's already made the decision to come with me. Nothing you do or say will stop him."

"Yeah. We'll see about that. Sam take him to holding, and have a couple of officers sit on him."

Samuel who had been quiet throughout the confrontation stepped forward flanked by two other officers and pulled Damon up. "You got it, Beckett."

After the prisoner was ushered out of the room Esposito began pacing furiously, breathing in and out heavily in an attempt to calm himself down. When that didn't work he threw his fist through the wall accompanied by a scream of frustration.

"Espo! You've got to get yourself under control!" Kate snapped, pulling Javier away from the wall and pushing him into one of the empty chairs.

Javier's breathing finally evened out and his voice cracked as he looked up at Beckett and asked, "What are we going to do?"

* * *

The holding cells were oddly empty, the newly made detective noted, as Samuel walked Damon through the door and towards the first cell. The young man's body buzzed with a nervous energy while his grip tightened on Calder's arm with each step that brought them closer to the metal bars.

"You know, sometimes things go exactly as you planned, and other times situations require a little readjustment here or there." Damon commented conversationally.

Sam squeezed the prisoner's arm even tighter. "Shut up."

"It's not your fault Detective Beckett sent them with you. That just means she's worried about your safety. I'd say that's a sign of success." The muscular man finished stopping to look at Samuel just outside of the open cell door.

Glaring with green eyes, Detective Whitmore sucked in a deep breath before turning away from the prisoner to face his backup officers. "I'm sorry." He mumbled while reaching for his weapon.

The two men didn't have a chance to react before Samuel pulled his pistol free from its holster, prompting each of them to raise their hands. Moving towards the officers Sam removed the keys to Damon's cuffs from his pocket and tossed them back to the man, keeping his aim trained the entire time.

Just as Calder unlocked the cuff around his first wrist one of the two officers lunged for Sam's weapon. The young detective was faster though and swiftly slammed the butt of his pistol against the man's head, knocking him unconscious.

Moving quickly Damon blocked the other officer from escaping through the doors, cutting him off at both ends.

Looking around frantically, the dark-skinned policeman did the only thing he could think of, jumping to the side he yanked down the fire alarm. The object blared to life only moments later followed almost immediately by a gunshot. The officer that pulled the alarm slid to the ground, gripping his side where Calder shot him, trying to slow the bleeding.

"What the Hell are you doing?!" Sam shouted in a craze. Starting towards the fallen officer for a moment before freezing in his stride as the realization that it was his fault slammed into him. He should have sent them away or something…anything other than this. Heart hammering in his chest the young detective looked into the indifferent expression on Damon's face in fear.

"Well they can't just find you here without a scratch." Calder's southern accented voice stated and he pulled the trigger once more.

* * *

Kate bit her lip nervously. "Are we sure this is a good idea? I mean it's Castle's idea. That can't be good."

Richard's head turned sharply to Beckett. "Hey! You're the one that decided to marry me. How great could your judgement be?"

Esposito smirked lightly. "As cute as this is we have my best friend to save. I'm going to go talk to Damon, and we'll go from there."

However, before the Hispanic detective had a chance to stand from his chair the fire alarm began screaming loudly. Javier's heart clenched painfully with terror as he looked into the matching fear in Kate and Rick's eyes. Bursting from the interrogation room Javier sprinted for the holding cells as fast as he could. Beckett and Castle just a step behind him. When he broke through the doors Javier lost his breath and stumbled slightly as his sight landed on the scene that greeted him. Samuel was laying in a pool of his own blood, a gunshot wound in his shoulder, skin sweaty and pale, shaking. The other two officers that Beckett sent with Sam also lay stretched across the cement floor, one with a head wound while the other was clearly trying to slow the blood leaking lazily from an open wound, barely holding on to consciousness.

Javier dropped beside Samuel while Beckett rushed to the other bleeding officer's side, shouting for Castle to find some help. "What happened here, Whitmore?!"

Breathing heavily the young detective answered back with a voice filled with pain. "Calder…he got the drop on us. I had to…" He trailed off, shaking his head and swallowed with difficulty before continuing. "If you hurry you can catch him. Go to the north stairwell that leads directly into the morgue. He's…he's going to use the loading entrance there."

Javier searched the injured man's eyes for any sign of a lie, and when he saw none jumped to his feet and raced out the door. He ignored Beckett's commanding shout to wait and moved with purpose down the stairwell to where he hoped Damon would be.

Crashing easily through the morgue's doubled doors Javier swept the room with his pistol raised, stepping with measured steps across the cold floor.

"Javi?" Lanie's voice shook from around the corner only a moment before the woman appeared. The barrel of Calder's pistol digging harshly into her temple.

The Hispanic detective narrowed his eyes at his former mentor and a tremor of fear ripped down his spine. "Let her go, Damon. She's got nothing to do with this."

The muscular man chuckled softly, running the cold metal of his gun down the side of Lanie's face. "Everyone you love is involved, Javier. Why don't you understand that? She is beautiful, an absolutely catch."

Esposito took two swift steps forward desperate to get the woman, he never expected to fall in love with, away from the danger. "Why do you think I'm here?! Alone and without backup. Huh? Let her go so we can leave…together. Like you wanted. You can take me to Kevin, but I'm not going anywhere if you hurt her right now. Your game will be over."

A lone tear rolled down Lanie's soft cheek. "No…Javi…please don't go with him." The woman pleaded brokenly.

"Throw your weapon away. Then I'll release her."

Esposito's firearm went clattering across the tile floor without even a moment's hesitation. His hands then lifted in surrender even-though his eyes held a flame of defiance as he stared down the dirty-blonde. Roughly the tall man shoved Lanie towards Javier, making her stumble, dark heels clicking, as she fell into his arms.

Detective Esposito swiped the coroner's dark locks away from her tear stained face. Placing a soft kiss on Lanie's forehead Esposito whispered with lips brushing against her skin with each word. "Trust me. Everything is going to be fine, but you have to go find Beckett. I have to do this."

Lanie shook her head feverishly. "There is no way I'm letting leave with this psycho Javier Esposito. No way!"

"Look at you worrying about me." The detective teased before his voice grew serious. "I'm going to be fine, Chica. I'm going to bring our boy back, and then we're going to go out on the town to your favorite restaurant. You can wear that green dress." Javier chuckled softly. "You know which one I'm talking about."

Lanie's plush lips lifted at the corners into a slight smile. "You better come back or I'll borrow Kate's gun and shoot you myself. You know she's my girl and she'll let me. Just…be careful."

The shaking woman pulled the detective to her lips, kissing him desperately. When they parted she turned from his arms and ran out of the room towards the stairwell Esposito came from. Leaving Javier alone with a smirking and armed Damon Calder.

* * *

Dun dun DUN! Sorry for the cliffhanger...oh wait, no I'm not! Haha! The story is coming to a close. Only one chapter left. Please review to let me know what you thought of this chapter. Are you excited for the final showdown? Until next time...


	13. Chapter 13

Here it is! The final chapter of Cause and Effect! Thank you all so so much for sticking with me throughout this story. I truly appreciate all the wonderful support I have received. Thank you for all the favorites and follows and each and every review! I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

Javier stumbled after a rather powerful push from Damon behind him, but quickly righted himself and kept walking. They could still hear the sires from the fire trucks parked in front of the 12th as they came upon a black SUV stashed away in a dark deserted alley.

Esposito shook his head and looked back at his captor. "You let us capture you. Had your car waiting and everything."

Damon winked. "You know it, Kid. Remember, to defeat your enemy you need to be so many steps ahead of them that they can't even see you anymore. I've been sitting at the finish line for weeks just waiting for you to catch up."

"You know in that story the hare loses the race because he was too cocky." Javier volleyed back with a glare.

The former military major tossed his keys to the detective without warning. "You're driving."

After driving for about an hour the Hispanic detective's hands started cramping from the iron grip he had on the steering wheel the entire time. Javier knew he had to try to calm down…at least a little. He needed to be levelheaded if he was going to be able to save Kevin and get them both away from Calder.

Finally Damon told him to stop and get out of the car. However, before leaving the vehicle Javier took in the lone and dark cabin he was parked in front of. No lights illuminated from the small amount of windows surrounding the cabin, a small kitten statue stood next to the welcome mat at the door, while a rocking chair moved gently with the wind. The place looked completely normal. Gritting his teeth at the knowledge that they never would have found Kevin without Calder wanting them to the furious detective slammed out the car.

Damon sauntered into Javier's line of sight. His gun held loosely in one hand. Esposito didn't think twice and lunged at the unsuspecting dangerous man. The ex-military major reacted quickly and shifted his weight, so when they fell to the ground with Javier's momentum Calder was positioned on top. Espo sent a powerful punch to the dirty-blond's jaw, effective knocking him off his chest. Rolling after him Javier reached for his enemy's weapon while he was still stunned from the hit. Unfortunately, Damon recovered faster and brought the metal pistol across Javier's cheek, splitting the skin, bone crunching under the force of the blow.

Calder rose from the ground, gun aiming firmly at Javier on the ground, and spit out some of the blood now pooling in his mouth. With red stained teeth the muscular man smiled. "What was your plan here, Kid? If you actually had succeeded in subduing me? Huh? You still have no idea where Kevin is." The man taunted, chuckling madly.

The injured detective pulled himself to his feet. "I'd find him." He snarled.

"Sure. You'd bring in search dogs if you had to. Am I right? I'm sure it wouldn't take you too long to get everything mobilized. You would have at least a twenty to thirty percent chance of finding your best friend alive. I can't quite remember: are you a betting man, Javi?" Calder held out his weapon to the Hispanic detective, tempting the man to take it.

Javier stepped up close to Damon, but didn't make any move to reach for the pistol. "Let's just get on with this."

Damon scratched at the scar on his neck absently. "Whatever you say. Start heading behind the cabin. It's not too far."

As Damon said, it didn't take very long until they came upon what looked like a small metal plate imbedded in the dirt. Leaves and moss scattered over the top of the metal, hiding it almost completely from view. Upon closer inspection Javier could see on one side of the plate was hinges and he knew instantly that it was a door of some sort. A wave of sickness crashed over the detective as he realized his best friend was trapped inside whatever the door belonged to, underground, as if buried alive.

Javier dropped heavily to his knees, a jolt of pain shooting through his kneecaps with the impact, and clawed desperately at the door in an attempt to open it. As his dark eyes landed on a small keyhole the detective felt the intense fury that had been building in his chest burst. Whipping around the enraged man readied himself to attack, but was halted by the barrel of Calder's pistol aiming directly at his forehead.

"Now, now, Javier. The game isn't at it's end yet. Don't go doing anything rash when you're so close to finally saving him." Damon spoke with a voice filled with dark glee. His eyes alight with a crazed satisfaction as his plan came together exactly as he had hoped.

Javier practically growled, "I will kill you, Damon."

"Your threats are become rather empty. That's what…the third or fourth time you've said that to me? I'm beginning to doubt your resolve. Maybe we should strengthen it." Damon brought his free hand to the chains around his neck, and pulled free from beneath his shirt dog tags and a small key. Without missing a beat he yanked hard on one of the chains, releasing the key from his neck, and tossed it to Javier who caught it easily.

Detective Esposito immediately dropped down once more, turning his back on his captor even-though every instinct in his body was screaming at him not to. With a slight tremble in his hand Javier slid the key into the lock and twisted it until a click sounded.

The detective swiftly reached for the door, but suddenly halted in fear just as his fingertips brushed the cold metal. Overwhelmed, Javier closed his dark brown eyes and took a steeling breath. When he opened his eyes again it was with strong determination burning brightly through his gaze and without anymore delay Javier yanked the metal plate up.

A cold numb feeling washed over Detective Esposito at the sight that greeted him. His best friend sat unmoving in a square coffin-like box, too small for even Kevin's shorter frame to sit comfortably. Even with knees slightly bent some part of Detective Ryan's body touch all four walls of the cramped and dark 'cage', but Javier had no sense of mind to feel the rage he should for where his friend was being kept. Instead all he could feel was a numbing terror at the shocking state his best friend was in.

Kevin's extremely pale face was marked by the discoloration of numerous bruises. His clothes were covered in dirt and dried blood, but what was most alarming to the detective was his inability to tell if Kevin was breathing or not. From where he sat his partner looked dead or very near it.

Javier focused his sight on his best friend's chest, willing it to move, staring to the point of eyes watering. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, Kevin's chest rose and fell unsteadily. The Hispanic detective exhaled with relief and swiftly reached down into the box to pull his friend free. Javier frowned at how easy it was to lift the grown man and felt a spark of fury as his fingertips brushed against Kevin's protruding ribcage. With extreme care, he placed his best friend on the cold dirt and took in the many injuries Kevin suffered because of him.

Javier lightly tapped Detective Ryan's cheek. "Kev? Kevin wake up, Bro. Come on…I'm definitely not carrying you out of here like some damsel. You know that Castle would never let us live that down."

Damon suddenly spoke from just behind the two detectives. "I find pain to be a very efficient motivator when Kevin is being difficult. Want me to try?"

"Don't you dare touch him." Esposito snarled.

In that moment, Kevin began to stir and Javier saw the brilliant blue of his eyes, something he had been convinced he would never see again. Uncharacteristically overwhelmed by emotions, Javier's brown eyes filled with tears and his voice cracked as he spoke to the person he viewed as his brother. "Hey Bro, you with me?"

Kevin blinked several times in an attempt to un-blur his vision until finally Javier's concerned face came into view. "Javi? What are you…how did you? You're not really here. Like Jen…you're just in my head."

Esposito shook his head feverishly, tears finally escaping his dark eyes. "No Man, I…I'm really here. I'm going to get out of here. Bring you back home…like partners do."

"Nnnno….no you…you can't be here! It's what he wants…he wants you to suffer. You have to get out…get out of here now!" Ryan struggled to warn desperately as his shaky hands gripped Javier's forearms weakly.

"I'm not going anywhere without you, Kev. Can you stand?" Esposito spoke softly. His mind racing furiously.

Detective Ryan blinked sluggishly, staring off blankly, taking far too much time to answer for Javier's liking. "I think so." Finally came the muttered response.

Detective Esposito bit his lip in worry and without needing to be asked, pulled Kevin to his feet and swung an are over his strong shoulders to take almost all of his partner's weight. Turning around the two were immediately faced with the barrel of Calder's pistol and a manic grin upon the man's face.

"How about we take this reunion inside?" Damon voiced smugly, waving his gun in the direction of the cabin.

Javier clenched his jaw tightly as he felt Kevin flinch at his former mentor's voice. The action bringing suffocating guilt crashing over the Hispanic detective. How would he even be able to look his partner in the eyes after they made it out of this? If they made it out.

As if sensing his best friend's internal struggle Kevin gripped Javier's shoulder with a surprising amount of strength to get his attention before staring directly into his eyes. "None of this is your fault." Detective Ryan stated breathlessly. His voice betraying just how exhausted and weak he was truly feeling.

Esposito was at a loss for words. Even after everything Ryan had clearly been through he was still more worried about him. Javier could only gaze at his friend in shock until Kevin sent him a small encouraging smile that sent him reeling further. As if Javier was the one that needed the strength to move forward. But the Hispanic detective quickly realized that he did. He was terrified, but Kevin's smile, even one as small as that, gave him the resolve to keep going. To know that they could still be fine…that his best friend could still be fine. That was all Javier needed to turn the two towards the cabin.

The short trek back to the cabin seemed to sap all of Detective Ryan's remaining energy, and by the time Calder was opening the door, ushering them inside, Javier was supporting all of Kevin's weight. The injured detective's bare feet dragging quietly across the wooden floor with each struggled step the pair took.

Esposito felt a jolt of relief as he spotted a wooden table and chairs sitting in the middle of the room. Moving towards it as swiftly as he could the detective carefully place his precious cargo down and gave his friend a quick once over. The relief he felt of being able to set Kevin down was replaced harshly by an intense sick horror as his dark eyes landed on the straps attached to the arms and legs of the chair. Swallowing against his suddenly dry throat Javier reached down again almost immediately, desperate to remove his partner from the offensive object.

"I think Kevin's fine right there, Kid. Leave him be and turn around." Calder ordered cruelly, but it quickly became apparent that Javier was going to ignore his order so he continued. "Or I could just shoot him and let you hold your friend as he bleeds to death." Words emphasized with a click of his pistol.

Detective Esposito clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, grip on Kevin's arms tightening without thought. The detective began breathing harshly through his nose in an unsuccessful attempt to calm his raging emotions.

It was his friend's quiet but surprisingly steady voice that pulled him back. "Javi, it's okay."

Esposito shook his head frantically in disagreement. "No…it's not…none of this is. I don't want you sitting in this **thing**."

"Are you really going to argue over a chair?" Kevin asked lightly, trying to joke, despite his voice cracking with obvious exhaustion.

The distraught man smiled a small fond smile at his friend. "It wouldn't be the first time I've argued over a chair and you know it."

Detective Ryan huffed out a laugh that dissolve into a painful coughing fit. He brought his overly shaking hand to clutch at his aching side after the movement jarred his injured ribs with pain etched upon his face. "Maybe we should hold off on laughing for a bit." He groaned out quietly.

Javier's smile slipped slowly from his face. Carefully, he gave his best friend's shoulder a squeeze and sent him a short but firm nod. The detective then stood up from his previous crouching position, turning to face off against his demented former mentor. His knuckles cracking from the force he clinched his hands into fists by his side.

"So here it is, Damon…the finish line, your **checkmate**. What's your next move? You've got me exactly where you wanted. You don't need Kevin anymore. This is between you and me." Javier said firmly, taking a step closer to his target with each sentence.

His former friend smiled cruelly. "Come now, Kid. Don't tell me you still haven't figured out the end of this story.

Javier's steps faltered. "I really don't understand any of this. You're the one that was in the wrong. You were using your team…using **me** to kill American friendlies! Just so you could benefit from all the death and destruction!"

"And you didn't benefit at all? I took you under my wing and made you into the tough and driven person standing before me. Do you really think you would be where you are now if I didn't pluck you out of the sea of indistinguishable soldiers for greatness?"

"I didn't ask you to take me under your wing, train me, and make me feel like I could be better. Well guess what? I am better because of **your** betrayal…not mine. I can't imagine what I would have turned into had you fully gotten your poisonous claws into me."

The ex-military man narrowed his cold grey eyes. "If I was so bad. Then why did you save my life? You disobeyed a direct order, and came by yourself into an enemy camp to save me. Face it, Dear Javier, you were my friend and still you stabbed me in the back." He hissed spitefully.

"Trust me, if I had known the kind of person you really were I would have left you for dead." Javier snapped back.

Damon's face fell as if his captive's words actually hurt him. The gun in his hand dropping slightly, as his gaze drifted to the other side of the room blankly. Esposito surged forward, trying to take advantage of his sudden distraction, but was once again halted by the threat of his weapon.

Calder glared at the detective, rage clearly burning behind his gaze. "I'm going to destroy you. I'll make you suffer unimaginable pain, before I finally…mercifully kill you."

The mixture of fear, anger, and hatred became too much and Javier finally lost the small amount of control he had desperately been clinging to. "Then do it! Torture me! Kill me! I don't care! If you feel so damn slighted by me then punish **me**!"

The wicked smile returned to his captor's face. "I have been." Damon stated surely. "Every single discomfort and indignity Kevin suffered at my hand was to punish you. When you thought he was dead, it cracked that mighty Javier Esposito persona you so carefully crafted all these years. Now there are cracks in your foundation, Kid. And…you're ready to crumble."

Esposito's heart rate quickened as terror gripped at his chest. Things were escalating rapidly. He needed to do something and soon.

Damon slowly moved in close to Javier, pressing the cool metal of his pistol over the detective's racing heart, effectively deterring any possible rebellion. Grey eyes connected with dark brown ones as the two former friends each stood their ground. The tension in the lone cabin was heavy as was the silence as its' three occupants waited for the next move.

Impatient Javier broke the silence. "Go ahead. Pull the trigger and end this. You've been waiting for this moment. For the day you could finally have your revenge."

The ex-military major shook his head. "I'm not going to kill you…not yet."

"What are you waiting for?" Esposito asked tiredly.

Calder lowered his voice and leaned even closer to Javier as if they were two friends about to share a secret. His mouth inches from the stilled detective's left ear while his eyes settled on Kevin sitting anxiously in the chair behind his partner. "Do you know what's worse than thinking your best friend is dead?"

Javier's heart skipped a beat as a feeling of dread overcame him. Without having to think about it the Hispanic detective shifted his footing to block his partner from their captor's view and glared at Damon.

The dirty-blond stepped back. "Finding him alive…only to lose him again." Calder finished his words by smashing the butt of his gun into the side of Esposito's head.

Knocked to the ground by the surprise blow the dazed detective watched as the blurry figure stalked dangerously towards Kevin and raised his weapon once more.

"That is what will truly destroy you. I am sorry about this, Kev. I actually started to like you. Oh well."

In a panic Javier jumped unsteadily to his feet and hurled himself at the man threatening his best friend…his brother. Slamming all his weight into Calder's side Esposito's mind registered the sound of a gunshot making his ears ring just as they landed forcefully on the floor. The two wrestled on the hard wood viciously until finally Esposito got the upper hand. Enraged, Javier repeatedly smashed his fists into Damon's quickly bloodying face as the man continued to laugh beneath him.

Slight hands unexpectedly tugged at Detective Esposito's shoulder while a muffled voice tried desperately to snap him of of his fury-fueled attack.

"It's done, Jav-…you listenin-…me? ESPOSITO!"

Jolted from his frenzy Javier looked up from Damon's beaten face to see his friend crouched next to him. "Beckett? When?" He asked numbly but his voice swiftly rose in intensity. "Where were you?! You should have been here ten minutes after we arrived! That was the plan!"

Kate gently pulled Javier off of Calder, allowing two other officers to pull him to his feet, and handcuff him. "We lost your tracker as soon as you guys turned off the main road. We've been frantically searching for over an hour. Believe me, we would have been here sooner if we could."

Damon chuckled hoarsely. His left eye was almost completely swollen shut, and blood leaked from his nose and mouth as he spoke. "Lost your tracker huh? I guess I'm not the only one letting myself be captured. We are definitely more alike than you'd want to believe, Kid."

"Shut up." Javier growled, starting towards their prisoner threateningly.

The Hispanic detective's words only made Calder smile wider. "Ya know, the saddest part about all of this is that even-though you found a way to get a step ahead of me…you still lost."

The anger controlling Javier's mind drained away completely with his former mentor's statement, allowing the detective to fully grasp everything that happened. It took him only a second to remember the gunshot going off just as he tackled Damon. Immediately his thoughts turned to his best friend, and thinking the worst snapped his gazed to the last place he saw his partner.

Brokenly Javier whispered, "No." As his throat burned with the rush of oncoming tears welling in his brown eyes.

The numb detective stumbled to the other side of the cabin to the overturned chair and his friend's still form. Castle and Beckett looked on in shock. The writer holding his silently crying wife in his arms. Neither of them knowing what to do or how to move closer.

Javier took a steadying breath before he moved to kneel next to Kevin, but the breath caught in his throat. A blinding smile broke out over Esposito's face as his blurring gaze connected with his best friend's, no his brother's, brilliant, awake, and wonderfully alive blue eyes.

Worry swiftly crashed over Javier and he dropped to the wooden floor heavily next to his partner. "Where did the bullet hit you?!" He asked while frantically searching through his friend's numerous injuries for the wound.

Kevin smiled tiredly and tried to bat his searching hands away. "It didn't. I…I pushed the chair back in time. I'm okay, Javi."

Javier stopped his probing and critically swept his sight over the wall next to them. He searched until his eyes settled on a small hole inline with where Ryan's heart had been only moments before. Releasing a shaking breath the Hispanic detective looked back at his friend with relief.

"Uh Javi, you're staring. It's kinda freaking me out, Bro."

Javier let loose a sudden laugh as the tightness gripping his chest for months finally released. He could breathe, really breathe, again. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again." He admitted with an unsteady voice as tears filled his eyes once more. This time with happiness.

Kevin cleared his throat before attempting to speak passed the overwhelming feeling to breakdown. "I never lost hope. I knew you guys would find me…that you would find me. Thank you."

Unable to hold himself back anymore Javier pulled Kevin up as carefully as he could and crushed him in a tight hug. The injured detective brought his shaking hands around his best friend's back and clung to him desperately, as he finally let go, tears soaking into Esposito's shirtfront. After a few moments Beckett and Castle joined the pair and encircled Kevin with no intention of letting go anytime soon.

* * *

There you have it! The final official chapter of this story. I have already written an epilogue that I will be posting shortly. I actually had it included in this chapter, but it became too long, and I decided it would be better separate. Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter or the story as a whole! I hope the final confrontation lived up to any expectations you may have had. Again thank you all so much for reading! Let me know how quickly you want the epilogue posted! Until next time...


	14. Chapter 14

As promised, here is the epilogue. I hope you all enjoy this ending piece as much as I do! A massive thank you to everyone that read, favorited, followed, and/or reviewed this story! You know who you are and you're awesome! I really enjoyed writing for this fandom and hope to write another story sometime in the future. Ryan and Esposito are my favorites, and as a fan girl of them, I feel there just isn't enough stories focusing on their incredible friendship. Enjoy!

* * *

~Three Months Later~

A steady stream of cool water washed over the pale skinned man as he dipped his head under the shower's spray, hands propped against the cream tile wall from support. Methodically, the man went through his breathing exercises, only slightly hindered by the water traveling down either side of his face. Kevin Ryan pulled his shaky hands through his wet and slightly too long hair as the last remnants of his nightmare ebbed away. His panic under control the Irishman realized just how cold he was after a shiver ripple through his body. So turning off the water Kevin wrapped a towel around his waist and moved to the sink to shave.

Without much thought Kevin went through the motions of his morning routine. However, while reaching into the medicine cabinet his bright-blue eyes caught sight of the horizontal scar across his forearm which halted his movement. Arm still outstretched Detective Ryan brought his other hand to the mark and gently ran his thumb over the length of the scar. Eyes transfixed, the NYPD detective remembered the horrible moment he received the scar. He remembered the searing pain of the blade dragging across his flesh, the terrifying hopeless feeling of being unable to defend himself, but worst of all he remembered Javier's screaming voice over the speaker calling out to him.

Shaking his head free of the unpleasant memory, Kevin resumed his routine by skillfully shaving away his morning stubble. The detective tried his best to ignore the thin scars marring his chest, thankful that the bruising had finally faded away, leaving very little of his time with Calder visible to the eye.

It was barely half past four in the morning, so the dark-haired man startled when a creak sounded in the floor boards at the threshold of the bathroom. Tensing his body and preparing for an attack, Kevin snapped his gaze to the doorway, hands balled into tight fists. There Jenny stood in her robe and nightgown, sluggishly rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Kevin exhaled slowly, willing away the panic that seized his chest, and silently berated himself for reacting in such a manner. It was difficult for the detective to tell if his overreaction was noticed by his beautiful wife, but he truly hoped it wasn't. Jenny had a transparent look of concern upon her face, bottom lip captured between her teeth in worry. It was a look the recovering man had unfortunately grown accustomed to over the past few months.

Kevin hated the fact that he was the reason for his wife's distress. Hated having to live with a constant, overwhelming, and crushing fear that something terrible was going to happen on a daily basis. The detective knew it would take time to fully recover, and that there was a possibility he would never completely move on. But for his family and his friends he would continue to try.

Cautiously, as if approaching a wounded animal, Jenny made her way next to her husband. Gently, she placed a delicate hand on Kevin's bicep and rested her head against his exposed chest, careful not to bring her arms completely around him. The recovering man was still plagued with anxiety about being trapped which made even a hug, meant for comfort, something to be avoided. Stiffening at the contact, it took more control than Kevin would like to admit to relax into Jenny's hold. Maybe he was just a wounded animal, needing to be handled with care.

"What are you doing up so early?" Jenny asked in a tired voice, rubbing her hand up and down her husband's cold arm in an attempt to generate some heat.

Kevin cleared his throat. "Couldn't sleep."

Nodding her head against his pale chest Jenny remained quiet as she began to gather her thoughts. Unexpectedly, Kevin's hands rose up to encircle her in a tight embrace. Jenny melted into it and smiled. It was progress.

After taking a few moments to enjoy her husband's arms around her the slight woman pulled back to look Kevin directly in the eyes. "Kev, are you sure you're ready to go back to work?"

The arms around her dropped as Kevin stepped back, creating distance between them. "I've been cleared by both my doctor and my therapist, Jen."

"I didn't ask what your therapist or doctor thinks. I want to now if **you** feel ready to go back." Jenny asked with concern filling her warm eyes.

Sighing Kevin ran his hands through his hair, voice taking on a distressed tone. "I'm sick of Damon Calder controlling my life. The guy is in prison and still I feel trapped by him. I need to go back to work to prove he didn't break me, Jenny." Suddenly he moved forward and placed his cool hands on his wife's hips. "Please don't misunderstand me. I love being home and spending time with you and Sarah Grace…it's just…I have to do this."

Slowly, Jenny brought her soft hands up and placed them on either side of Kevin's face, looking deeply into his captivating blue eyes. The clear and beautiful, albeit somewhat sad, eyes she adores and looks forward to gazing into everyday. Together, in their small and dimly lit bathroom, they stood in an intimate embrace, seeking comfort from one another's presence.

Jenny pulled her husband closer until their lips met in a tender kiss before pulling back just far enough so their nose were a few inches apart. She then nodded ever-so-slightly and ran her fingers caressingly up his face and over the small scar at his hairline, dragging her fingers through his drying hair to his neck, before resting them on his relaxed shoulders.

"If you feel you need to do this then I support you. If once you get there you decide it was too soon and want to hold off a little longer I will support that as well. I love you with all of my heart Kevin Ryan and I will be there for you no matter what." Jenny said wholeheartedly. Her eyes never leaving his.

Detective Ryan smiled and kissed his wife once more, pulling her impossibly close. After a while he pulled back somewhat breathless. "What did I do to deserve you?"

Jenny smiled back. "You were you. Now come on I'll make your favorite breakfast!"

"You don't mean?"

"Oh yes I do. Your mom's famous potato pancakes. And as much as I love ogling your hot body you should probably hurry up and get dressed. I mean Javier will be here in…about two hours." Chuckling the blonde sent her husband a wink before exiting the bathroom and heading towards the kitchen.

A knock on the door sounded and Jenny quickly rose from the couch to answer it, leaving Kevin sitting with a babbling Sarah Grace in his lap. Javier gave his best friend's wife a quick hug in greeting before entering the apartment easily.

"Hey Bro! You ready to get rolling?" The Hispanic detective asked lightly as he rested a hand on his partner's shoulder while waving at the young toddler over her father's head. It had become a sort of habit for Javier to make physically contact with Kevin whenever he was in the same room. It was a way to reassure himself that his friend was alive and well.

"You know it, Bro. Francine's Caffeine?"

Javier halted his footsteps towards the door and looked at the Irishman in surprise. "You sure?"

Kevin sent his friend a reassuring smile. "Yeah. I woke up early this morning and I'm in dire need of a caffeine fix."

"If caffeine is what you're after then caffeine is what you'll get. Whatever you want, Kev."

"Whatever I want?" Kevin asked with a glint of mischief.

Javier shook his head and started out the door at a brisk pace. "Nope! No way! You are not driving, Bro!"

Kevin passed his sweet daughter to Jenny and gave them both a quick kiss before following his partner out the door. "Why not?! I'm a fantastic driver!"

Javier turned around and gave Kevin a look of amusement. "Fantastic? Bro, my grandmother drives faster than you and she's ninety two!"

The pale detective rested his arm over Esposito's shoulders. "Your grandmother is a unique case."

"Well I suppose that's true."

The two continued to bicker back and forth in jest as they made their way to work side by side once more.

The End

* * *

There you have it. The end of Cause and Effect. I'm actually sad to be finished with this story, but am excited for the many new story ideas to come! If you enjoyed this story and would like to see more from me hit the author follow and/or favorite button. That way you won't miss out on any of the awesome new stories to come! Until next time…


End file.
